


Reflections

by lastofbastet



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: (you'll see), Alternate Kai - Freeform, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst and Feels, Betrayal, Better Than Canon, Canon Divergence, Edgy, Edgy humor, GRAPHIC descriptions of depression!, Gatekeeper, Good Guy Garmadon, Hi Luna thank you for motivating me, I Am Sorry, I have been planning this for months, Kai Will Die For You, Kai angst, Kai betrayal, Kai hates himself, Kai is a precious angel, Kai is dying inside, Kai makes new friends, Kai needs Hugs, Kai needs better friends, Kai needs saving, Kai no, Kai please, Kai you deserve better, Kai-centric, Kai-centric fic, Ninjago, Ninjago Angst, Ninjago Kai angst, Offensive content, Season 12 and onward never happened, Swearing, This is Catharsis, Unreliable Narrator, ahahah angst, alternate Ninjago, anatomy that may or may not belong to LEGOs, and beyond, bad things happen, big oofs, does anyone read these?, edgy Ninjago, equipped with a subplot that ACTUALLY adds to the story, foreshadowing oop, full of Filthy Frank references cuz I'm edgy and gay, he gets help don't worry, hi if you do, it's kinda weird, long chapters planned, not sorry, slightly offensive content, sorry - Freeform, tags will be constantly updated with the chapters, the 16 Realms, the Ninja Team disbands, this fic is going to be pretty long, this may or may not be the author's personal therapy session, villainous use of asmr, you rock and I'm glad you are my friend
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-30
Updated: 2020-06-05
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:02:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 41,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23933515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lastofbastet/pseuds/lastofbastet
Summary: Ever since their return from the Never-Realm, all the Ninja have seen is work. First, it was just chasing mutant giraffes and pursuing picky car thieves...but what started as a few tasks soon evolves into a constant, tiring grind against threat after threat. And things don’t seem to be getting any easier. Especially after the Ninja are gifted by a visit from a very dangerous beast.A dangerous beast who has apparently gone through hell to request the help of one person and one person only: Kai.Our Red Ninja suddenly finds himself in the middle a cosmic war. A war that challenges all of his current knowledge, beliefs, and achievements. But amidst all the chaos, he might just discover the deepest peace he's ever known.Or he might die. Who knows? (I do. Read to find out.)
Relationships: Background Jaya, Kai & Alternate Garmadon, Kai & Himself, Kai & Pink, Relationships will be added as the story progresses, background pixane, most of them are platonic - Relationship
Comments: 56
Kudos: 65





	1. Just Another Day in Ninjago

**Author's Note:**

> A big thank-you to my friend Luna, my preview reader, who motivated me to actually post this. 
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy!

**The Monastery of Spinjitzu, Months Prior**

Satisfaction welled up in the Omega’s shriveled chest. The enemies were falling back, the cowards. The Realms were as good as theirs, all of them; despite the best efforts of that pathetic Offspring. He thrusted his staff assertively, ushering his dark warriors further up the mountain. They began to pound against the crimson wood of the gate. The Omega waited patiently, already savoring the hard-earned victory. Years of conquest and destruction were finally coming to a fulfilling close, and his true rule could begin. He was so proud of himself. The feeling reached its peak when his warriors broke through. Victory was upon them!

His warriors startled when the enemies began to… _spin._ Faster and faster, until they were all conical blurs of disgusting light. The blurs all came together, forming one large amalgamation of… _Creation._ Bile soured his throat as he recognized the Offspring’s craft. The Offspring. He was going to lose _millennia_ of his hard work to that vile, cheating, loathsome cur. A vision of the Offspring’s hideous grin formed itself tauntingly in the light before him. He growled at the face. He sensed his warriors retreating in fear, but he could not bring himself to do the same.

He stood, transfixed, as the hideous face grew closer.

The terrible light pierced him, and for a brief second, he recognized the pain of all his victims. Loss, anger, sadness, grief, terror, and many more sensations of pain washed over him with the light’s heavy, defiling waves. All he could do was stand in it, his arms hanging like blunt blades by his sides, his legs unmoving like stones. Until he could. He felt his arms twitch before he was aware he was moving them. He felt his legs begin to twitch before he tried taking a step. He remained there, dazed, wiggling his fingers and toes, moving his limbs and adjusting his neck.

He was shaken from his reverie by many screams of terror.

The haze left his eyes, and he could see clearly—though he couldn’t believe his eyes. His warriors stood around him, all waggling their limbs experimentally, but that wasn’t what astounded him. Surrounding him were enemies. Unarmed enemies of all shapes in sizes, all dressed in an array of hideous colors, all in various states of shock and disarray. His warriors had regained their composure, flocking around him in quiet obedience. He narrowed his eyes, raising his staff. 

Perhaps there _would_ be a victory today.

**The Monastery of Spinjitzu, Current Day**

Kai flopped facedown on his bed, letting a groan of rage and exhaustion leave his mouth. He knew he shouldn’t be doing this. He shouldn’t be wasting time. Yet here he was, laying on his bed. Wasting his time being uselessly angry. Wasting his time being useless. The room swirled around him as he sat up, and he struggled to regain his composure. (For about the fifth time that day.) Just…things had been so hard ever since the Ninja returned from the Never-Realm. They’d been called to arms nonstop for _months_ now.

Ninjago was in an odd state. It started with a bunch of mutant giraffes escaping some secret, evil laboratory. It took _weeks_ for them to finally wrangle all the beasts. They were then shipped off to the Ninjago Center for the Rehabilitation and Housing of Endangered and Interesting Wildlife/Ninjago City Zoo. (Kai still deeply regretting locking them up there. The poor brutes didn’t deserve it.) But they had yet to arrest anyone involved. Then there were these weird car thieves that only stole cars in a specific shade of blue. Some of Ninjago’s fine citizens had been ordered to repaint their cars, others were given free rentals. No arrests had been made, nor the stolen cars retrieved. And that wasn’t even half of the stuff they were dealing with now.

Kai sighed tiredly. As selfish as it was, he felt like he deserved a little bit of reprise. After losing his powers, getting thrown around, chasing mutant giraffes and car thieves, being insulted continuously…

 _That_ is _selfish,_ he chided himself. _You’re a Ninja, Kai! This is your job—you don’t just “quit” or “take a break” when it gets hard…_ especially _not when it gets hard._ He banished that thought, focusing instead on the reason he’d even decided to stop by. Wait, _why_ had he come here again? To waste time?! He looked around, suddenly forgetting where he was. In his room. In the Monastery. Right. He came to the Monastery to…? He looked down, seeing his shredded gi and immediately realizing.

“Oh,” he said into empty space.

He stood up, head spinning. It took him a few moments before he could see clearly. When he did, he walked over to his closet, pulling out his spare gi. Maybe he couldn’t take a break, but his gi should. He started by removing his weapons belt and straps. He cringed as he removed the shredded red cloth, ragged and filthy from constant abuse. He briefly considered mending it before just tossing what was left of it in the corner. Decidedly, it was past the point of no return. He stripped off the slim armor underneath, leaving him only in his sweaty undergarments. Despite how gross he felt, he knew a shower wasn’t a luxury he should indulge in. He sighed, staring off into space.

Selfishly wasting time once again.

He quickly slipped the armor on again, pulling the fresh gi over his head and pulling the pants on, buckling the belts swiftly. He jogged through the Monastery—startling a few monks—berating himself when he realized dusk had already fallen. He was supposed to meet Cole at some warehouse on the far side of Ninjago City for recon. What had (allegedly) began as a teenage troll group on Chirp now seemed to be a full-on Ninja hate group. They had been mostly harmless at first. But graffiti eventually gave way to vandalism, moral and intellectual debate birthed fistfights and witchhunts. It was a mess. Now, an (alleged) anti-Ninja riot was set to take place later that night. He and Cole were supposed to figure out if this was true or speculation, and he was going to be late.

Kai jumped into the Katana 4x4, powering it up before navigating it down the slopes of the Mountain. He gritted his teeth angrily. Cole would have his hide, and Kai didn’t feel like that was wholly undeserved. He heard the familiar _blip, blip_ of his communicator, hesitating only slightly before activating it.

“Hi, Cole,” he said. “I’m on my—“

“WHERE ARE YOU?” Jay screeched, the background noise sounded like he was at some sort of pep rally. Or maybe somewhere in the ninth circle of hell.

Kai swallowed. “I’m on my way,” he said meekly. Curse his thoughtlessness.

“ON YOUR WAY!? ON YOUR WAY!? YOU NEEDED TO BE HERE—YESTERDAY!”

Despite himself, Kai sighed. “We didn’t have the intel yesterday, Jay, we—“

“JUST…GET HERE! THERE ARE TEENAGERS! SO MANY TEENAGERS, AND…AAAHHH!”

The communicator went quiet.

“Shiz,” Kai grunted to himself, upping the speed on the 4x4.

It was utter pandemonium when Kai finally arrived. It was swamped with row after row of…teenagers. Wearing brightly colored masks, spinning homemade signs, chasing Jay across the ancient pavement. FSM help him. He was surprised to realize that everyone was here. They were almost never in the City all at once. He spotted Cole and Nya’s hoods in the crowd. Zane and Lloyd stood just outside of parking lot, trying desperately to negotiate with the policemen who had gathered. He gulped nervously when he saw hoses aimed and ready. He hoped this ended better than the giraffe fiasco. Jay shrieked louder.

Zane and Lloyd eventually convinced the police officers to stand down. Jay managed to scale a light pole and get to safety. Cole and Nya were trying to keep the kids at bay, freeing P.I.X.A.L. to hack their Chirp profiles to find their identities. This left Kai to call their parents. Needless to say, the night was long and exhausting. So many phone calls to so many grumpy parents. But finally, at around four a.m., the last grumpy, disheveled parents drove their sulking teenager off, leaving the Ninja team alone

The Ninja met up in the center of the parking lot, shoulders slumped in exhaustion.

Lloyd sighed. “Well, I’m glad _that’s_ over,”

“For _now,_ ” Kai muttered.

“Could’ve been worse,” Nya groaned, rubbing her sore back. “Could’ve been _way_ worse.”

“Yeah, but by how much?” Jay said, moving to rub his girlfriend’s back. She smiled at him gratefully, and he grinned back.

“Not much,” Cole put in. “Maybe things wouldn’t have gotten so bad if _someone_ met me here when he was _supposed_ to.”

Kai looked at his feet, ashamed, knowing Cole was right.

“I doubt Kai’s prompt arrival would have done anything to prevent the beginning of the riot, Cole.” Zane asserted.

“Affirmative,” P.I.X.A.L. chimed.

“Yeah,” Cole said in a needlessly loud voice. “You got _that_ right.”

“Where _were_ you, Kai?” Lloyd asked, arms crossed. “With everything that’s going on, we can’t exactly afford to have one of us go missing for extended periods of time.”

Kai tried to meet his leader’s eyes. “I was at the Monastery, getting my spare gi.” He looked down. “I was practically walking around in rags,” he chuckled nervously, neglecting to tell Lloyd how selfish he’d been. He felt so ashamed, but he wouldn’t show it. Couldn’t.

The Green Ninja sighed. “Just…be quicker next time, okay?”

“Got it. Quicker,” he nodded in understanding. He added it to his mental list of self-improvements. It was a long list.

They all decided to convene at the Destiny’s Bounty to figure out whose turn it was to do what. Due to the (alarming) increase of crime and general unpleasantness, they were on a strict cycle. Eight hours a sleep per day, thirty minutes for (all) meals, seven hours for patrolling Ninjago City, sixteen for patrolling the rest of the Island, and thirty minutes of self-care time. Spreading the Ninja around had proved efficient so far. _Far_ more efficient then having them in the same place, awaiting more threats.

Still, it was rough. The entire Team was exhausted and stressed out. The robots had broken down more then once. Jay and Nya were going nuts trying to keep the vehicles in a state of repair. Kai, Cole, and Lloyd often had to work overtime to cover for them. It was straining everyone and Kai hoped this splurge of evil would be over soon. But there was no indication of that happening.

They gathered together in the main cabin, the faint sounds of early-morning Ninjago City filling in the background.

“Okay,” Lloyd yawned. “Who’s up for patrol next, Zane?”

The Nindroid stared off into space briefly before listing off their duties. “Ordinarily, we would send the Falcon with a team to patrol the Island. However, there is a strange phenomenon my flying friend discovered somewhere in Hiroshi’s Labyrinth. So Nya, P.I.X.A.L., and Jay will patrol the Island while the Falcon and I investigate. Lloyd and Cole are set to watch the City. Kai is up to rest.”

Everyone but Kai grumbled.

“Someone can take my rest time,” Kai offered. It was the least he could do, after wasting all that time staring into empty space. “I can go longer.”

Cole scoffed. “Yeah _, okay,_ Mr. Nice Guy.”

“That is unwise,” Zane shook his head. “Without sufficient rest, your ability to perform tasks will be inadequate—and that is not a good thing.”

Cole scoffed again. “Always trying to be the hero.”

Kai pursed his lips, nodding at Zane. “Yeah, you’re right.”

A faint smile tugged at the Nindroids lips. “I know,”

After the others (reluctantly) took off for their missions, Kai was left alone on the Bounty. He wandered around the hovering ship briefly before ending up in the bedroom he shared with his friends. He sat down on his bed, resting his chin on his fists. _Why are you like this?_ He asked himself angrily. _You need to stop wasting everyone’s time. Especially now._ He thought about what Lloyd said. About being “quicker.” He clenched his jaw angrily in realization. He’d lied to him. To Lloyd. To his friend. Why? Why had he lied? Wasting time, energy, and now friendship. This was getting out of hand. _You need to_ stop _this, Kai. Stop this_ now. He told himself. _The Ninja don’t need you like that. They don’t need your stupid problems. They need your powers, Kai. They need you to do your job, so do it!_

After some more self-motivation, Kai decided to finally get some rest. He didn’t bother taking off his gi. After he removed his belts and weaponry, it was (reasonably) comfortable. Even with the armor. And he’d just have to put it back on in the morning anyways. He extended himself on his side, staring at the wall, willing himself to sleep.

Eventually he did. His last thought was about showering. It was 6:00 in the morning.

Kai was disturbed by the _blip-blip_ of his communicator. First it was distant, then it was ringing constantly. He grumbled, lifting his hand to cover his ear, but this only amplified the sound. Apparently, he’d forgotten to take the thing out of his sleeve. Curse his forgetfulness. He grumbled, flicking the thing on.

The clock on the wall read 7:30 am.

“—“ He didn’t get the chance to speak.

“ANYONE OUT THERE?” Kai's tiredness evaporated instantly when he recognized his sister’s voice.

“I—yes, I’m here! I’m here, what do you need? What’s going on?” Kai rolled out of bed, searching the floor, gathering up his discarded belts and weapons.

“Kai!” Nya sounded relieved. “I—we’re, we’re having an issue.”

There was an eerie howling noise from the other side of the line. Then a screech.

“Where are you guys?” Kai clicked his last belt buckle, rushing headlong out of the bedroom. He dashed out into the deck and to the railing.

“I had P.I.X.A.L. send the coordinates directly to the 4 x 4,” Nya said, then: “WATCH OUT!” Then what sounded like rushing water.

Another howl.

“I’m coming, Nya!” He jumped off the bounty, right into the cracked pavement outside of the warehouse, rushing to were the 4 x 4 was parked, startling several pedestrians. “What’s going on? What are you fighting?”

“Just, just get here—you’ll see for yourself.” And then. “ZANE!”

One last bloodcurdling yowl, and the line went dead.

“Shiz,” Kai said.

When he was halfway to the coordinates P.I.X.A.L. sent, Kai got another transmission from Nya. Instructions to head to Ninjago Center for the Rehabilitation and Housing of Endangered and Interesting Wildlife/Ninjago Zoo. His sister sounded sapped of all energy as she explained the appearance of a huge beast. A quadruped, covered in matted back fur, standing at a staggering height of 13 feet tall, thick claws, sharp horns and tusks. The usual nasty stuff. But that wasn’t the weird part. The _weird_ part was that neither P.I.X.A.L nor Zane could identify the creature. It wasn’t recorded in _any_ wildlife archive that they had access to. As far as they knew, they’d just discovered the first of a new species.

Kai pulled into the backlot of the Ninjago Center for the Rehabilitation and Housing of Endangered and Interesting Wildlife/Ninjago City Zoo. Nya was waiting for him at one of the backdoors, her face extremely pale.

“Come on,” she pleaded, pulling on her brother’s wrist as she walked through the door.

There was something distinctly _animal_ about the smell of the Ninjago Center for the Rehabilitation and Housing of Endangered and Interesting Wildlife/Ninjago City Zoo. Something about it felt misplaced in the sterile, white interior of the Center. Kai smelled it last time he was here, and couldn’t help but think misery had something to do with it.

He knew _he’d_ be miserable, trapped in a place like this.

Nya led him down several corridors, quiet as a mouse. This alarmed Kai, but he said nothing and allowed her to continue pulling him. He had a feeling all his questions would be answered soon. Eventually, they came to a large metal door with the word “THREAT” on it, printed in big, urgent red letters. P.I.X.A.L and Zane stood at the door, locked in private discussion. Kai realized his friend’s right arm was completely missing.

“What happened?” He asked as they approached the Nindroid.

Zane looked confused.

Kai pointed. “Arm,”

“Ah, yes. It was bitten off.”

Kai should’ve felt more shocked, but he wasn’t.

“Bit off titanium, like it was _nothing._ ”

“It took the creature quite a few seconds to remove my arm, Nya,”

“It still took it clean off!”

The door creaked open. A small woman walked out, dressed in a clean, white lab coat. Her name tag read “Barbara.”

“Hello,” she said, a professional smile plastered on her face. She reached out to shake their hands, pausing awkwardly when she came to Zane. She hesitantly stuck out her left hand, and he took it.

“Greetings,” said the Nindroid. “Is our… _friend_ secure?”

“Oh, yes— _very_ secure, we assure you.” She gestured to the door. “If you’d all follow me, please.” They set off, eventually coming to another door.

“No funny business past here,” she stated. As if there had been any funny business _before_ here. Kai fleetingly wondered where Jay might be. Barbara used her keycard to open the door. “If you’d all follow me, please.” she said, sounding a bit like a broken record.

There was no natural light in the tall concrete halls. Only single, bare bulbs shone down from above. Kai unconsciously moved towards his sister, towards safety. He knew he was free to leave at any time, but he didn’t like the feel of the place. This was a place where big animals were locked up and forced to spend the rest of their lives. He knew what it was like to be locked up, and it wasn’t fun. Not in the slightest.

They made a few turns before making it to a normal-sized door labeled “OBSERVATORY 0” Barbara used her keycard again, and suddenly Kai was standing in natural light. A huge window spanned the length of the room, offering view of the lush, green vegetation surrounded by a towering concrete wall, topped with what appeared to be electric fence. A pool and waterfall sat to the far left, near the vegetation. Quite a pretty cage.

The creature was nowhere to be seen.

“He hasn’t come out of the growth since we secured him,” Barbara said. “I assure you, he’s quite harmless here.”

“We need to be entirely sure,” Nya said, then she gestured to Zane’s arm. Or lack of. “Until Jay can find Lloyd so he can make a decision on this, I’d rather have one of us here to watch it.”

“Agreed,” Zane said firmly.

Barbara sighed. “There’s really no need, we assure you,” the frustration in her voice was evident. “But if you insist…”

“I’ll stay,” Kai blurted. Then, more calmly: “I’ll watch him.”

“Good,” his sister said. “I hope I never have to see its ugly face ever again.”

Zane looked at him. “You didn’t get a full eight hours of sleep,” he said.

Kai sighed. “It’s _fine,_ Zane. I can last awhile longer. Jay’s probably on his way here with Lloyd and Cole as we speak. _Then_ I can rest.”

“If you insist,” he finally relented.

After his friends left, Kai was left alone in the room with Barbara. They stood in an awkward silence, both staring out the window.

“Nice cage,” Kai said flatly.

Barbara nodded. “I designed it myself. It was built to hold a Grundle, because we’re pretty sure there’s a subspecies living somewhere in the jungle. So it _should_ hold this guy pretty well.”

Kai really hoped that there was no subspecies of Grundle living in the jungle.

“Does he have a name?”

“No,” Barbara said, her voice quiet.

“Are you going to put him on display for the people to watch?”

“I’m sorry, I can’t answer your questions now. I have work to get back to.”

And Kai was alone.

He strolled up to the window, searching the vegetation for any sign of movement. Any sign of a beast equal to something as fierce as a Grundle. For awhile, there was nothing. Just the wind blowing through the foliage, rippling the water on the pond, sending up leaves. Peaceful. Then there was something. A flicker. It lasted for the briefest of moments. Kai squinted, unsure if he’d actually seen anything. Another flicker.

Then two gleaming purple eyes stared back at him from the greenery.

Kai found himself frozen to the floor, transfixed, as those two purple eyes met his. He heard muffled snapping noises before the beast fully emerged from the growth. Nya’s description over the intercom did him no justice. Two magnificent horns rose from the top of his proud head, bottoming out into a pair of tusks that looked more than capable of killing a Grundle. Lithe muscles bunched beneath his thick shag of black fur as he strolled closer, claws the size of large daggers glinting in the sunlight. Kai wasn’t aware of how close the beast had gotten until they were face to face, their breaths simultaneously distorting the clear glass of the thick window. The beast stooped his proud head, staring directly into Kai’s eyes and soul.

Kai knew he should be afraid. He knew he should scream or recoil or run or something, but he didn’t. He only sat, staring into the deep, glowing purple eyes of the creature. Eyes full of pain.

“Hi,” he breathed, wondering if he understood the greeting.

The beast broke the stare-off, turning his attention instead to the dirt beneath his feet. Kai squatted down curiously, watching the beast scratch at the dust with his magnificent claws. He remained thoroughly mystified as he continued to scrape the floor. He began to wonder what he was even watching when the creature stepped back, revealing his handiwork. Despite how cartoony it was, Kai felt his jaw drop.

“Wh—what?” He gasped.

The writing was crude, but legible. Scratched into the earth were two words: “HELP KAI”


	2. And Then There Were...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a little intense, be warned!  
> Trigger warning: minor swearing.
> 
> Luna, thanks again for motivating me. You are my hero!

“‘Help, Kai’?” he rasped, as if saying it aloud would clarify _anything._ The creature sat down, waiting patiently for him to process the information. When Kai remained crouched, staring at the marked earth like a fool, the beast rose. He swept dirt over the words casually with his paw, turned tail (or lack of) and began his retreat to the greenery. Kai shook his head, clearing it, pressing his hands against the thick glass.

“Wait!” He cried.

The beast gazed back over his shoulder, eyes twinkling. Kai blinked in disbelief. _He understands me,_ he realized.

“Um,” he cleared his dry throat. “‘Help, Kai’? Are you…are you asking for my help?”

Dumb question.

The beast narrowed his eyes, turning around and walking back to where Kai stood. He nodded, intense gaze zeroing in on Kai’s soul.

“What…what for? What do you need my help _for?”_

The beast cocked his head, looking slightly irritated. He lifted a massive hind paw to scratch at his ear. Kai eagerly awaited whatever thing this strange creature might do next. He flicked his head towards the sky. _Towards the electric fence!_ Kai realized.

“You want me to—“ he leaned in closer. So did the beast. “You want me to deactivate the fence?”

The beast nodded.

Kai was thoroughly awed at the sentience of this creature. It made him slightly suspicious.

“Why?” He asked, crossing his arms. “What are you going to do, once I deactivate it? Destroy Ninjago City? Enslave all of my people? Murder us all brutally and eat our innards?”

The beast made a noise: “Huh-huh-huh-huh-huh,”

“Are you…are you _laughing_ at me, _muchacho?”_

“Huh-huh-huh,”

“You are,” Kai felt himself smile. It was the first time in weeks. “You’re laughing at me. A strange beast who can bite through straight titanium is laughing at me.”

“Huh, huh.”

“Is that good sign, or a bad one?”

“Hhhuuuuuhhhh,”

“I’m gonna go out on a limb and guess that’s a _good_ thing,” he uncrossed his arms.

“Huh.”

“Okay, so…so you want me to deactivate the electric fence, _then_ what? Is that all?”

He shook his head, looking off to his left. (Kai’s right.) Kai followed his gaze. He looked back at the creature.

“Am I supposed to _guess_ what that means, or?”

The beast grunted, flipping his head again. Kai squinted.

“I’m sorry, I don’t see it. I’m dumb,” he chuckled nervously.

The beast sighed, shaking his head. He stood up, walking to his left. Kai’s eyes followed him. The creature sat down, flicking his head to the left again.

“You want me to come to the right…?”

His eyes twinkled, and he nodded rapidly.

“You want me to come to…oh! I know! You want me to go to you!”

The beast nodded vigorously, letting out a small _yip!_

Kai walked until he was face-to-face with the creature again. “So, you want me to deactivate the electric fence, _then_ you want me to go with you?”

The beast nodded, seeming excited.

“Why? Where do you want me to go?”

He looked at Kai, then he pointed his snout to the sky.

“Okay, okay—hang on. You want me to deactivate the electric fence, then you want me come with you to the sky?”

The beast nodded.

“Hmm,” Kai said, thinking. This was _very much_ a bad idea—on _so many_ levels. Firstly, he was talking to a strange animal with the ability to bite through solid metals Secondly, he had duties to attend to. His friends couldn’t take much more strain without snapping. They needed his powers. He shook his head. “Sorry, buddy; no can-do. I’ve got a job to do, and—“ the excuse died in his throat when he saw the creature’s face. He looked genuinely hurt. He flattened his ears to his head, and began to limp back to the foliage.

Kai bit his lip. “Wait!”

The creature looked back over his shoulder, his big purple eyes shining sadly.

“I…I’m sorry. You asked for my help, and it’s my duty as a Ninja to help you.” He pressed his hands against the glass. “I guess I’m coming with you to the sky, big guy.”

Kai could’ve sworn that the creature rolled his eyes before turning around and walking back to where the Red Ninja stood.

“Okay,” Kai exhaled, stopping briefly to think. “I need to get to the control panel for the electric fence without being noticed…how?”

The beast looked at his chest.

Kai looked down, seeing his gi. He laughed a little. “Yeah, right—I’m so stupid. I’ll ask to see if their security is up to Ninja standards.”

The beast nodded.

“Then what?”

The creature nodded with his head at the wall. _Up._

Kai’s eyebrow lifted. “You’re…you’re going to scale that smooth wall?”

“Huh,”

“I don’t doubt it,” Kai said. Then he sighed. “Oh-kay, so I’ll deactivate the fence, you’ll scale the wall, and then what? We’ll meet out inconspicuously in the parking lot?”

The creature looked ponderous for a second.

Then, the door opened. Kai turned around, suddenly coming face-to-face with the Green Ninja.

“Oh, hey.” he said in a dangerously casual tone.

Lloyd looked at him, confused, then his gaze travelled behind him, his green eyes widening in terror. “K-Kai, step away from there—NOW!”

Kai opened his mouth to explain, but was cut off by a loud _CRASH_ from behind him. He whipped around, watching in fascination as his new friend destroyed the (allegedly) Grundle-proof glass. It took about three forward thrusts of his massive body to shatter the glass. He heard yelling from behind him and alarms going off, but he was transfixed once again by those purple eyes. Suddenly they were right in front of him. Then they were gone. Then Kai felt himself being thrown through the air, and—

“Oof!” He landed face-first on what he could only guess as the creature’s back. He grabbed thick swaths of fur for support as his body was jostled freely. They were on the move.

“KAI!” Lloyd? Kai lifted his face, seeing his friend’s stunned expression shrinking in the distance as the beast ran down the desolate concrete halls.

“I, wait—how did you even fit through the doorway!?”

The only answer he got were grunts and huffs as the beast carried them down the halls.

Kai had no idea where they were anymore. He no longer recognized the hallways they were running through. He heard people scream as the creature continued to run. Kai bit his lip nervously. _I hope they’re okay,_ he thought. Then: _wait, what am I doing? I’m supposed to_ help _people, not_ hurt _them!_

“Stop!” He screeched. The creature payed his request no mind.

Kai briefly considered jumping off when his new companion skidded to a halt.

“I guess never seeing you again was too much to hope for,” Nya. That was Nya’s voice. Kai wished he could see what was going on. The beast growled.

“Wait, Nya!” He gasped. “Stop!”

“Kai?! What’re you—AY!” The beast growled, lurching forwards suddenly. He saw Nya leap just out of the way in his peripheral, crashing gracelessly to the floor as they passed her by.

“I AM SO, VERY, VERY SORRY, NYA!” He called back. The Water Ninja’s face was a mask of utter shock, and she remained on the floor where she’d fallen. They continued on their rampage down the once-secure halls of the Ninjago Center for the Rehabilitation and Housing of Endangered and Interesting Wildlife/Ninjago City Zoo.

Suddenly, they were in natural light again. Kai attempted to look around and get his bearings, but the sheer speed they were going at kept him plastered to the beast’s flanks. Kai heart shrieking people and saw misshapen blobs of color speed past him. Civilians, he guessed. They were loose in the zoo, weren’t they? He groaned, wondering what the _actual_ _hell_ he’d just gotten himself into.

Kai was pulled from that thought as he was thrown into the air again. A squeal of surprise left his mouth as he was tossed high into the air. He grunted from the impact as he landed, perfectly straddling the beast’s back this time. He gripped the thick fur on the animal’s muscled shoulders to steady himself. His vision swayed. _Kai, what the_ actual hell _are you doing?!_ He asked himself.

Truth was, he had no idea.

He was jolted back into reality when he heard the shrill honk of a car horn. His eyes widened as he realized they were in the middle of a freeway.

“What are you _doing?!_ Do you want us to get to the sky by _killing_ us, because you’re doing a pretty good job at that!” He shrieked, heart pumping fast. Part of it was exhilarating, admittedly—but the excitement was ruined by the fear Kai had that he might stop living today.

He shrieked again when the beast launched them across the freeway, cars skidding and sliding as they tried to avoid collision. Kai hoped there would be no casualties and that any damage would be minimal. He also hoped that they _survived._ The beast did appear to have his heart set on keeping them alive, so that was good. He dodged cars and trucks expertly, as if he’d done it every day of his life. Kai’s grip on the fur tightened. That just _wasn’t_ possible. No beast that had been hiding in the deepest, darkest depths of Hiroshi’s Labyrinth would know how to dodge cars with such expertise. Or have such dense fur. Or understand human talk. Or be able to write. Or know who the Red Ninja was.

There was definitely more going on than Kai knew.

The beast finally launched them off the freeway, immediately into the vast expanse of the Sea of Sand. The beast began to pant heavily, slowing down its run as its massive paws sank into the sand. Kai leaned forwards, scratching him behind his ears.

“You’re doing good, buddy,” he said encouragingly. _Whatever_ it was he was trying to do.

Eventually, they got to one of the rock formations. The creature wilted into the shade provided there, and Kai slid off his back.

Silvery strands of saliva spilled from his large jaws, making small pools in the sand below. His black fur was matted with red dust. Kai sighed, trying to hide his smile.

“That was _really_ impulsive. You could’ve gotten us killed out there. We had a plan, you know.” Paraphrasing what he’d heard about a billion times from all his friends.

“Huh, huh, huh,”

“Yeah, okay, laugh your not-so-little heart out.” He said, exaggerating each word. The beast seemed to understand the sarcasm, casting him what might be considered a grin before he curled up, resting in the shade. Kai walked around the rock formation to look across the vast desert. Ninjago City glared brightly in the distance, too far away for him to make out any traffic jams. He was a bit surprised to see that no one was pursuing them yet. He felt a pang, realizing the utter chaos they’d created. His friends were probably going to try and fix that before going after them.

“Hey,” he called, turning back around. “I know you’re tired and everything, but we should pro—“ Kai hated the noise that left his mouth. Squeaks were _not_ masculine, not in the slightest,—but that was exactly the noise he made.

In place of the beast that had been there mere moments before, a boy sat in the shade. Besides some obvious discrepancies—take his ash gray skin, or his eyes and hair as black as the night for instance—this was a boy Kai saw every single day of his life.

In his _reflection._

“Hi,” Kai heard himself say. But it…it wasn’t _him._ It wasn’t his voice. Or…or did he actually sound like that? Kai looked at… _himself_ sitting there, in the sand. No, this…this _wasn’t_ him. He _couldn’t_ be. He didn’t look like… He wasn’t… He suddenly felt lightheaded, and he swayed on his feet.

The other Kai watched him fall, dazed, fell flat onto his back. He crawled over to where he was, resting his cheek on Kai’s—on his, on _his?_ —chest.

“Hi,” he said again, lifting his finger to lightly _bop_ Kai’s—his?—nose. “It’s me: you!”

Kai opened his mouth, shutting it, and opening it again.

“I was honestly anticipating a punch in the face,” his… _doppelgänger?_ said, running his pointer finger along Kai’s—along his—jawline. “Must I settle for a landlocked fish?”

No.

He—himself? Other Kai?—was fully unprepared for the punch when it came. He reeled back, dark eyes twinkling.

“There he is!” The copy sounded amused as he cradled his face.

“Who are you?” Kai snarled, raising his fist again and standing up. “Why do you look like… like…” he found himself physically unable to finish the sentence.

“You? Because I am you, Kai.”

“No, no you’re not!”

“Oh, _fine,_ you got me. I’m not you. I’m not ‘Kai.’ Not at all.”

“Then who—“

“Pink,” he said, a devilish smirk plastered across his face, displaying sharp teeth. He extended his hand to shake. “I’m Pink.”

Kai ignored the hand. “Pink?”

“Yes, Pink.”

“What kind of name is that?”

“You wouldn’t really believe me if I told you.”

“Try me, ‘Pink,’”

“Maybe later,” he sighed, putting his arm down before crossing both of them. “They should be here pretty soon, anyways.”

“Who should?” Kai remained in his fighting stance. “Who’s coming? What the heck is going on?”

“The Gatekeeper,” he stated simply, turning his attention to his monochrome hands.

“And who is that?”

“A, uh, a friend of mine.”

“Great. Well, you have fun with your friend. I’ll be going home, now.”

“No, no—silly. You’re coming with.”

“What gives you that idea?”

“A little mutant birdie told me you were a man of your word,” Pink looked up, his dark eyes piercing Kai’s soul. “You promised to help me, so that means you’re ‘coming with.’”

“I agreed to help the…” he trailed off, suddenly realizing. “Oh,”

“Oh, yes,” Pink grinned wickedly. “Very uncharacteristic of you to do that, by the way.” He started to circle him… _self._ “You’re the team skeptic, right? Never one to trust so quickly,”

Kai gritted his teeth, watching his duplicate circle. “My mistake, I’ll add it to the list.” To his _private_ list of improvements… “Dang it!”

Pink stopped, his smile widening. “Ooh-hoo, ooh! You’ve got a _list?”_ He approached Kai slowly, stopping at about a foot away. “Someone doesn’t like himself very much,”

Kai stepped forwards, lifting his fist threateningly. “I’m _fine_ with myself. It’s _you_ I don’t like!”

Much to the Red Ninja’s surprise, Pink grabbed his fist, twisting his double’s arm around. “Add ‘Painful Lack of Self-Awareness’ to that list, Kai,” Pink pulled him up, so that Kai’s back was flat to his chest, his arms pinned. Awkward as all hell. “Don’t worry, I’m here to help you… _improve.”_ He breathed softly into Kai’s ear, making his spine tingle uncomfortably.

Kai dropped, leaning forwards, pulling Pink over his head so that he landed back-first on the desert floor.

“Oof!” His counterpart looked stunned for a brief second. He shook off his reverie, casting an admiring glance up at Kai. “I think I might actually like you,”

“That makes one of us,” Kai snapped, turning around and running back towards Ninjago City. He didn’t get far.

“That’s high praise, I’ll have you know.” Pink said, grabbing him from behind and lifting him. Kai let out an unmanly shriek. He was dropped onto the floor, and Pink fell strategically onto him, pinning him to the ground. “Especially coming from _yourself!”_

Kai pushed Pink’s lithe body off, springing up and attempting to run again. Pink grabbed his ankle, pulling him down.

“Let me GO!”

“Not a chance, Fire boy.”

Kai mentally facepalmed. _Fire._ He was the _Master of Fire!_ Why hadn’t he tried to use his element yet? He shook Pink’s hand from his ankle, creating a ball of fire and whirling around. He threw it before his counterpart had the chance to react. Or so he thought. Pink stood a safe distance off, watching, awestruck, as the fire collided with the sand.

“Oh, there’s that lovely fire! I’ve been waiting to see it for so, so long!” He shouted gleefully.

Kai grunted, aiming at Pink. He didn’t seem to actually care, watching as the fireball came closer and closer. At (literally) the last second, he twirled gracefully out of the way, appearing to defy gravity…if only for a few seconds.

“Nice try,”

“I’m just warming up!”

“Oh, I bet you are,” Pink yawned, looking at his (imaginary) watch. “Unfortunately, we don’t have the time for a full demonstration of your abilities right now. That _will_ happen, though. I promise you,” he smirked again. Damn the bastard. _Damn me!_

There was a buzzing noise, and a flash of light. Kai made the mistake of looking up. Pink was at his side in an instant, his arm around the Fire Ninja’s body. “They’re here!” The devious double said. Kai didn’t have to turn his head to know he was grinning. Besides, he was too busy watching a big, rippling vortex appear in the sky.

“Took you long enough!” Pink said, shaking Kai. “Look! I got him!”

Kai heard something that sounded like vague echoes of indecipherable words.

“Yeah, yeah—whatever. Look, we’ve got to get going. This guy—“ he gave Kai’s body an amiable squeeze “—has some peers looking for him. Besides the obvious threat of the—“

He was cut off by more quiet echoes.

“Oh, right, right. Forgot. Not _yet._ Hey, Kai,” the Red Ninja turned his head, seeing his own face staring teasingly back. “You really need to hold onto me, or else this won’t be fun for you.”

“I don’t even want to go with you,” Kai was aware that he sounded like a sulking child. He didn’t care at the moment, honestly.

“Aww, too bad—you promised.” He squeezed Kai again. “I’ll tell you everything once we get out of here, okay? You just need to trust you,”

“I _don’t_ trust you,” Kai grumbled, wrapping his arm around Pink. Or _me, for that matter._ He thought, not saying it however.

More echoes.

“They said ‘good boy,’” Pink said, squeezing him yet again. He didn’t release the pressure this time. “Now, hold on.”

Kai did.

This wasn’t like using Traveler’s Tea or jumping realms via dragon. At least, that’s what Kai _assumed_ they were doing: jumping realms. It looked like the same flashing lights, but it felt completely different. Kai felt more dense than when he usually travelled inter-dimensionally. Plus he tingled pretty much anywhere Pink _wasn’t_ touching him, and it wasn’t a pleasant tingle. Eventually, it broke out into an itch. Kai was going nuts trying not to scratch himself when the sensation ceased. He and Pink were standing together, on the top of a green hill, overlooking a large city. It was the middle of the night. There wasn’t a single doubt in his mind that they’d jumped realms.

Kai pushed away from Pink immediately, making a show of dusting himself off.

Pink grinned. “You’re welcome, for keeping you together.”

 _“Barely,”_ Kai snorted, crossing his arms.

“No argument there.” His doppelgänger set off down the hill, towards the city. Kai reluctantly followed, falling in beside him.

“So,” Kai asked, trying to sound casual. Trying to sound like he hadn’t just agreed to let this crazy dude take him away from his home with literally _no_ information.

“So?”

“So, why am I here? You said you’d tell me everything once we left Ninjago.”

Pink stopped. “That _wasn’t_ Ninjago.” He said through gritted teeth.

Kai scoffed, stopping as well. “Really, then what was it? The Cursed Realm?”

“Might as well be,” said Pink, looking around. He sighed. “Okay, fine—I’ll tell you _everything.”_

“Oh good. I was beginning to think you had no idea what we were doing.”

“I don’t, actually.”

“…what!?”

“Haha, gotcha. Dumbass.”

“Says you,”

“Got me there,” Pink looked at him, then he sat down at the base of the hill. He patted the grass next to him. Kai hesitated. Eventually, he decided that the patch of grass was acceptable and sat down.

“Shoot,” Kai said.

“Hey, quick disclaimer: you probably won’t like a lot of what I have to say.”

“I’m a big boy, I can handle it.”

Pink shrugged. “I warned you.” He leaned back, looking up at the sky. Kai was tempted to do the same, but he didn’t. He remained fixated on his double as Pink started talking.

“Your world is built on bloodshed.” He said with a completely straight face.

“What?!” Kai choked in disbelief.

“I _warned_ you.” Pink sighed, beginning to stand. “Okay, this was a bad idea.”

Kai grabbed his wrist, pulling him back down. “You can’t—you can’t just _say_ something as downright insane as that and leave it there!”

Pink sat back down immediately. “I suppose you’re right,” he said smugly. Kai _really_ wanted to punch him. “Like I was saying, your world is built on bloodshed. On the pain of many unfortunate souls. On the—“

“I _get_ it, my world is built on bloodshed.” Kai snapped. “Are you going to actually tell me what happened, or not?”

“He’s a brave one, I’ll give you _that,”_ Pink sighed, seemingly to himself. He plucked a handful of grass, twisting it in his soot-colored hands. “Millennia ago, I was more or less like you. It was just me and my team, facing the big baddies of Ninjago together. I’d found my place, I knew my destiny; and I embraced being Ninjago’s prophesied savior.”

Kai stopped him. “Wait, so I—no, so _you’re_ the Green Ninja?”

Pink scoffed. “I wasn’t called that. But yes, I was the ‘Chosen One,’’’

“Wow,” Kai bit back a smile. _I’m the Green Ninja—at least,_ somewhere _I am._ “Wait, what about Lloyd?”

Pink scoffed yet again. “Oh yes, the little green bitch. He doesn’t exist, not where I come from. Thank _goodness,”_ he put the grass down, turning to Kai. “Are you going to keep interrupting, or actually allow me to speak?”

Kai clenched his jaw, ignoring the jab at his friend. “Okay, I’m listening.”

“It was all well and good, until it wasn’t. I’d failed to ultimately please the dark lord, so he decided my entire world was unworthy of his mercy. And of living. My entire world became encased in darkness—in an eternal night. The sun left the sky, my team disappeared, everything fell to ruin. I was alone again.” Pink had seemingly dropped his earlier persona. He sounded solemn, sad even. “We rebuilt, despite this. The survivors banded together, and we created a city. A haven. I thought maybe this was it, maybe I could actually be happy again.

“We were just, living. We weren’t…we weren’t hurting anyone. But then _they_ came. Dark ones… _oni warriors._ Ugly beasts with horns and fangs, bringing an even deeper darkness with them. They… _petrified_ us, freezing us in place. I tried to stop them, but I couldn’t.” He looked Kai dead in the eye. “He took everything from me. The dark lord. Or, as you know him—”

“Garmadon?” Kai asked, his voice shaky.

Pink scoffed. A sound Kai was becoming accustomed to. “No, not Garmadon. The timeline you live in is so horribly twisted. So backwards. Garmadon wasn’t the dark lord, far from it—Garmadon was a guardian, a protector. A savior.”

Kai choked in disbelief. _Again._

“No, it was the First Spinjitzu Master who took everything from me.”

“That’s ludicrous!” Kai exclaimed. “That’s… That’s not possible. The First Spinjitzu Master is—“

“Benevolent? Kind? Even-tempered? Oh, _please!”_ Pink fell backwards, looking up into the sky. “Nothing I ever did pleased him, no matter how hard I tried. Spiteful bastard hated me, he hated everything about me. And _then_ he took it out on everyone _except_ me. Funny how that works, right?”

Kai shook his head. “No, that’s, that’s not right. That’s not possible, he—“

“This was _clearly_ a mistake,’’ Pink sat up, moving to stand. “I _knew_ you wouldn’t want to listen; I _knew_ it.” He stood up stiffly, offering Kai his hand. “Come on, I’ll summon the Gatekeeper. We’re getting you back to _your_ world.”

Kai was shocked. “O-okay,” he accepted Pink’s hand, letting the other pull him up.

They were silent on their way back up the hill, giving Kai time to think. His skeptic side was screaming at him, telling him he was a fool to fall for this. Pink had barely shown any emotions while talking about the destruction of his _own_ world. Massive red flag. _Bad idea, don’t listen to him. Don’t be a fool, Kai! Not again!_ But his other side cried out with sympathy. He knew how awful it was to lose his family, his home. He’d just been lucky enough to get them all back. _After losing everything,_ twice _, with no chance at getting anything back, you’d probably be just like Pink, Kai._ He told himself. _How would it feel, to go through all of that, then reach out for help—only to be rejected in the end?_

Kai bit his lip, stopping. “Wait,”

Pink stopped, not looking at him. “What?”

“You asked for my help,” Kai grabbed his shoulders, turning him around, looking straight into his dark eyes. Eyes full of pain. “No, you came to _me—_ specifically _me,_ for help. And, jeez, I’m so sorry. You lost everything, and I’m…I’m being so, so unfair to you. And you don’t deserve that, after everything you’ve been through. Not in the slightest.”

Pink blinked. Admittedly, Kai’s outburst had surprised him. He remained quiet, trying to see what his double would do next.

 _No going back, Kai. Finish strong,_ he told himself. “And I promise, on—on my _sister’s_ life, on my team’s life, on…on _everything_ I care about, that I’ll help you.”

Pink finally regained his composure. _Interesting,_ he thought. He placed his arms on Kai’s forearms, looking him in the eyes. “Well, then; if it’s a _promise…”_ He was so glad that his voice wasn’t shaking.

“It’s a promise,” Kai said, letting his original go. The other’s hands lingered briefly before he, too, let go. “A _pinky_ promise.” He said. He couldn’t help himself.

Pink chuckled, smiling. (He couldn’t help himself, either.) “That was _so_ stupid,”

Kai smiled, too. “Well, I’m stupid, so…”

“Thanks, stupid.” It slipped out before Pink could stop it. “Thank you,” dammit. Slipped again.

“You’re welcome,” Kai said, placing his hand on Pink’s shoulder. It was gone in a flash. Kai was suddenly halfway down the hill. “Race you to the city!” He hollered.

“Don’t think a head-start will save _you,_ stupid!” Pink shrieked, dashing after him.

Kai cast a glance over his shoulder, seeing his copy—no, his _original_ speed up, nearly catching him. Kai’s eyes twinkled. All of his time spent with Jay was about to pay off, big time. _I’ll help you, Pink._ His sympathetic side sung out. _I’ll help you if it’s the last thing I do._

It very well _may_ be the last thing you do, Kai.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone!  
> I had some issues getting this one up, but hopefully it works now!  
> Thank you all so, SO MUCH FOR 16 KUDOS!! AHH! That's amazing! You guys made my day. I also love reading and responding to your comments! 
> 
> Ooh, our first plot-twist! What do you think of Pink? He's a bit of an ass, but I love him. Do you think he's being completely honest with Kai, or not? Badger me about it! I would love to know!
> 
> I am using this fic as a way to improve my dialogue skills. What do you think? Any constructive criticisms? 
> 
> Questions? Theories?  
> Leave them on my tumblr @lastofbastet  
> (Shoutout to @ihaveabeanbag on tumblr! You are super cool!)  
> And thanks again, Luna. For everything. 
> 
> -Fran


	3. ...Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (THANK YOU FOR OVER 100 HITS AND 22 KUDOS!!! I LOVE YOU GUYS!! Muah!)
> 
> Uh oh, lol.  
> Trigger warning: genocide aftermath, swearing, edgy joking (nothing too nasty... yet)  
> Going forwards, this story probably is not for you if you are very sensitive. (So sorry... )
> 
> Yeah, this one gets weird and intense. I really hope you all like it!
> 
> Thanks again, Luna! (Hope you feel better soon.)

**The First Ninjago, Months Prior**

Pink let out a groan as he tried to move his stiff body. Where…where _was_ he? What was going on? He couldn’t open his eyes. Every attempt to move was met with horrible resistance and a useless twitching of his arms and legs. He fought the sense of panic rising in his chest with deep, focused breaths. _You’re okay, you’re fine,_ he told himself. _If anything’s missing or broken, you’ll find out soon. Just stay calm, you’ll figure this out._ He began slowly reworking the mobility into his stiffened body. First, he focused on bending his stiff fingers. Second, on wiggling his limbs. Then he opened his eyes.

Much to his dismay, he saw only darkness. He immediately feared blindness before the blackness began to swirl before him, revealing a very familiar moonless sky. He breathed in deeply, realizing that he was safe. _Maybe I’m just getting old,_ he reasoned. How long had it been since he’d last seen the sun? A thousand years? Maybe temporary paralysis was just a side effect of immortality.

Oh, how terribly wrong he was.

Pink sat up with a grunt, sending his vision into swirls. He stabilized himself with unstable arms, concentrating on staying upright. _Maybe it’s_ finally _time you see the apothecary for some medicinal herbs, or something like that._ He chuckled to himself. The day he did _that_ was the day the world ended. Poor choice of thought. He sighed, finally finding the strength to stand. His vision still swayed slightly, but he waited patiently for it to clear. _Nope. Definitely not seeing the apothecary anytime soon!_ He said to himself as his vision cleared.

Revealing to him the aftermath of a brutal massacre.

Limbs, heads, and torsos littered the ground around him. The broken bodies of his petrified people surrounded him en masse, blanketing the town’s once-lively marketplace. Hewailed with abhorred shock, stumbling backwards. Something made a sickening _crunch_ noise beneath his foot. He looked, seeing the crystalized remainder of a child’s hand. The dreadful noise that left his mouth could only ever be described as a noise of inexplicably deep grief, terror, and rage.

Pink gripped his hair, collapsing to his knees. His spirit completely and utterly broken. He began to mutter desperately to himself over and over: “It’s not real it’s not real it’s not real it’s not REAL it’s not real it’s not real…” But it was. And even someone as experienced in denial as Pink couldn’t possibly dismiss the horrible sight before him. It dawned on his tortured mind that he’d lost everything, _again._ And why? What heartless person would do this to so many innocent, beautiful people?

Pink knew _exactly_ who.

The only thing he could hear were his own choked, horrible sobs. They filled his ears. Desperately, he pushed his hands against his ears. To block them out. To _stop_ them. It didn’t work. His sore body spasmed as he sobbed uncontrollably, the sounds of his own isolated grief filling his head. Filling it until it buzzed. _Buzzed._ Pink sobbed, pathetically smashing his head against the brutalized earth in an attempt to get rid of the noise. _Stop it! Make it stop! Please—someone, anyone! Make it stop! Make it stop! Make it…_

 _“Stop,”_ commanded a gentle voice from above him. _“Little one, why do you cry? Are you a cub who has lost his mother?”_

Pink lifted his head at the painfully familiar question. No, _greeting._

“G-Gatekeeper?” He stuttered, looking up to the big, friendly, swirling vortex. Despite himself, Pink chuckled. “You are a sight for sore eyes,”

 _“Indeed,”_ hummed the entity softly. _“My old friend, what has happened? What horrible calamity as befallen this poor, poor Realm?”_

Pink’s breath hitched in his throat. “You…you don’t— _ach,_ know?”

They hummed remorsefully. _“I have been trapped, dear friend—and I know not for how long. I was lodged in a wedge of Spirit Crystal, and I have been drained of much of my energy.”_

Pink’s lip curled. He could take a wild guess who was responsible for _that,_ too.

_“Your soul suffers, little cub.”_

“Observant,” Pink snapped angrily. Then his tone turned mournful. “I just…I just lost everything— _again! Agh!”_ He broke down sobbing, _again._ The Gatekeeper hummed soothingly, comforting Pink the way only few could. He lifted his dark eyes, watching the swirling vortex of light draw closer. Drawing in his pain.

 _“Oh, little cub.”_ They murmured. _“He has taken it all, has he not?”_

“He has,” Pink confirmed, his lip curling into a snarl. “Oh, he _has.”_

 _“Is there anything left?”_ They asked after a brief pause.

“Nothing,” he choked, balling his hands into fists. “They’re all…they’re all, _all_ gone. Every single _one_ of them. Nya and Jay and Cole and Zane and…“ he faltered slightly, swallowing. “…and, and Bunny. And our people, they’re all—they’re all—“

 _“I see,”_ they interrupted. Pink was grateful he didn’t have to finish.

“What do… what do I do now, G?” He asked, trying not to cry again. “I have nothing, _nothing_ left! My world is dead, my people are gone, my friends are… are…” he couldn’t finish.

 _“What do you wish to do, old friend?”_ The Gatekeeper inquired gently.

Pink exhaled a sound of pure agony. “I don’t… I don’t know. What can _we_ do? What can _I_ do?” He found the strength to stand, wobbling. “What _can_ we do? Everything’s gone—he’s taken it all! The only thing I can do now is suffer, it seems.” He gripped his elbows, his face distorting as he realized the terrible, heavy truth of the situation. “Suffer alone!”

 _“There is…something we can do, dear friend,”_ they sounded hesitant.

Pink looked up at him, his eyes blazing with desperation. “What? What can we do?”

 _“Challenge him,”_ they said, almost silently. _“Challenge him, little cub. Fight him—show him that he cannot just take everything from you. Show him you will not stand for his malevolence.”_

Pink wiped away tears, his dark eyes sparkling hopefully, before collapsing back into despair. “I…I have no powers, G. Other than aid from the Hellbeast, I’m _completely_ helpless! I can’t win against him—not like this.”

 _“Not without your powers, no,”_ they said, sounding hesitant once again. _“Your Master can aid you in recovering them.”_

“Master?” Pink’s soul ached. He hadn’t seen Garmadon in a long, long time. Not since… “He’s dead. He’s _been_ dead—long before his ‘dad’ decided to destroy everything.”

 _“I am aware,”_ they murmured.

“Then how can he help me?” Pink demanded.

 _“There is a way to recover him,”_ they said. _“But you will need help._ Elemental _help.”_

Pink scoffed. “I am the last of the elementals,” he said, with a pang. “I stand alone.”

 _“Not as alone as you may think,”_ they said. _“You were aware of the Offspring’s new project, yes?”_

Pink nodded disdainfully. “Yes. The bastard made sure to smear it in my face as he destroyed my livelihood the _first_ time around,”

_“Well, on the new world, there is one—an elemental—who will help you…if properly persuaded,”_

Pink gritted his teeth. “I don’t want help from _any_ of their pitiful kind,” he growled.

 _“You won’t need it for long,”_ they reassured. _“Only until you recover your Master,”_

Pink carefully weighed his options…or lack of. So much had happened over the course of the last millenia. Millions upon millions of innocent people had lost their lives for reasons outside of their own control. Then he’d…he’d just started over, as if nothing had happened. As if his new world wasn’t built on bloodshed. On the deaths of the innocent.

Even if it was the last thing he ever did, Pink decided he wanted revenge. For them. For his friends, _and_ for the people. Those who lay around him, dead; and those who had died before them. They _all_ deserved justice. And if he had to enlist the help of one of the bastard’s little puppets to get it? The end would be worth it. Puppets could be disposed of, _easily._ He should know—he’d been on the “puppet” end of things quite a few times.

“Alright,” he said hesitantly. “What’s your plan, old friend?”

 _“I’m glad you asked, little cub,”_ they murmured mischievously.

__ **Hyper Centuri, Current Day**

As asserted, Kai’s head-start did not help him in his pointless contest with Pink. The slate-colored boy beat him to the City Limits with ease. After some gloating, Pink showed him to a loose spot in the chain-link where they could slip in.

“After you,” he offered generously, pulling up the corner and allowing Kai to crawl through.

“Such a gentleman,” he remarked, holding it open for the other.

The gap in the fence led them to a small, dark alleyway. Kai was beyond unfamiliar with this place, so he was more than happy to fall behind and let Pink take the lead. His counterpart, on the other hand, seemed to know exactly where he was. He navigated them through the alleyways with ease, eventually bringing them out into an open street. Despite the fact that it seemed late, the streets were full of cars, the sidewalks bustling with soot-skinned people. Kai lifted his hand to his face subconsciously, making a poor attempt to cover his bright skin. Pink saw what he was doing and grabbed his wrist, pulling it gently down.

“There’s no need for that,” he reassured. “No one will notice—no one ever notices. Not here.”

“Where exactly _is_ here?” Kai asked, falling in line with Pink, eyes darting around nervously.

“Hyper Centuri,” he stated, like that cleared anything up.

“Oh,”

“One of the Realms, you retard.”

“Jeez, okay,” Kai looked around. “ _Why_ are we here, exactly?”

Pink sighed, not giving him an answer. This irritated Kai, who briefly considered giving him a piece of his mind when Pink suddenly stopped. Kai bumped into him, apologized softly, and looked up. At a very underwhelming apartment building.

“We’re here to get our shit together,” he announced, walking into the entrance. Kai followed after realizing there wasn’t really a place for him to run.

Pink approached the front desk where a middle-aged woman sat, watching TV. “Is Lance in?” He asked.

She didn’t even look up. “Lance is always in,” she stated simply.

“Good,” Pink walked past her left and opened a door. It led to a hall. “Come along, Kai,”

The Red Ninja ran after his doppelgänger, catching up to him at an elevator. Pink pressed the _up_ button.

“Who is Lance?” He asked.

“The owner of this apartment building,” Pink said as he stepped onto the elevator, Kai close behind. Pink pressed the top floor button, number 13; “the owner of the Hub. He’s also a powerful entity who can control the ebb-and-flow of time. That’s why nothing ever really changes here—Hyper Centuri is trapped in a sort of time pocket. Out of time itself as we know it.”

“Interesting,” Kai said.

“He lets me stay here be—“ Pink stopped.

“Why?” Kai pressed, perturbed at the other’s loss for words.

Pink looked panicked for a second before composing himself. “Because I always payed rent on time,” he looked at the fluorescent light on the ceiling. “I hope not paying up for a thousand years doesn’t effect our relationship.” He chuckled slightly.

“You said Hyper Centuri exists out of time,” Kai said, hoping he didn’t sound too idiotic. “So you shouldn’t really have anything to worry about, right?”

Pink cast a glance at him as the door opened. “Right, yeah,” he muttered stiffly, stepping off the car. Kai was close behind. Pink lead him down a cream-colored hallway of identical-looking doors, unnumbered, picking the one at the very end. He opened it without a key, allowing Kai to step in first.

It was a bachelor pad if Kai ever saw one. (He lived in a perpetual one, despite any and all female intervention.)

“Sorry about the mess,” Pink said, kicking a dirty, blue dress shirt across the floor. “It’s been a couple hundred years since I’ve picked up around here.”

“A _thousand,”_ Kai corrected.

“Mmhm,” Pink hummed in agreement, collapsing on the couch. “Aah,” he groaned, shutting his eyes contentedly. “What a day—and to think it led me back to _here,_ of all places.”

Kai didn’t know if he should sit, so he decided to remain standing. He crossed his arms, swaying back-and-forth, impatiently awaiting whatever Pink might say next.

“So,” he said, looking around. There wasn’t really much furniture in the living room. The couch, a chair, a coffee table, and the TV were the only things in the room. Except for the clothes and trash on the floor, of course.

“So?” Pink said, not opening his eyes.

“So, what now?” Kai asked. “You said we’re here to get our stuff together, but your stuff is all over the floor and we’re currently not doing anything.”

“It’s alright to swear, Kai,” Pink sighed, opening his eyes. “I know you Ninja are an uptight bunch, but that pressure’s gone now. Feel free to let loose here, it’s completely safe. I won’t tell anyone—I promise,” he grinned.

Kai rolled his eyes, uncrossing his arms and walking the lefthand doorway. It led to a surprisingly clean kitchen. Though a pair of briefs rested directly next to the trashcan. Kai sighed, completely desensitized to this sort of thing. He walked over to the fridge, opening it, peering in curiously. All of the usual stuff, equipped with expiration dates.

“Hey,” he called. “Does the food ever spoil in this world?”

“Yup,” Pink responded. “Living outside of ‘time itself as we know it’ isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”

“That blows, because I’m hungry—and I’m _really_ not in the mood for thousand-year-old toast,”

“P***y,”

“Whoa, hey buddy,” Kai said, closing the fridge. “That was completely uncalled for.”

“P***y,” he said again.

“Are you stuck on repeat?”

“I suppose,” Kai whirled around, seeing the darker version of himself standing in the doorway, grinning like a madman. He wore the same dirty, collared shirt from the floor earlier. “It happens sometimes,”

Kai yawned, suddenly becoming aware of how tired he was. The adrenaline was wearing off. Those two hours of sleep seemed like an eternity ago. He leaned against one of the marble countertops for support, yawning again.

“Tired?” Pink asked.

Dumb question.

Kai nodded. “I was rudely interrupted from my allotted sleep time by a big, dangerous beast. He needed my help, apparently. It couldn’t wait.”

“How inconsiderate of him,” Pink snickered, walking over to him. He pulled Kai’s arm over his shoulder. “Come on, let’s get you to bed.”

“I don’t need help,” Kai yawned, trying to push away.

“Sure,” Pink said, leading them out of the kitchen and lingering in the living room. “I don’t have a guest bedroom, so you can take my room, the floor, or the couch.”

Kai yawned. “I don’t care, honestly,” he murmured. “I’ve slept on straight up _dirt_ before. Anything is preferable to that,”

Pink hummed, pulling him down the righthand corridor. There were three doors, Pink opened the middle one. He switched on the lights, revealing a room covered in clothes.

“Dude, come on,” Kai yawned. “I live with, like, _five_ other guys and we never let it get this bad.” He paused. “Okay, we _rarely_ let it get this bad.”

Pink chuckled. “At least it’s not dirt, right?”

“Yeah, I guess,” Kai sat down on the bed, looking at his legs. 

“Need anything?” Pink asked, leaning on the bedside table. Covered with tissues.

Kai’s eyes widened.

Pink followed his gaze, looking down at the table. “Oh,” he said, jerking his hand away. “No, no! That’s—I had a, uh, a cold last time I was here.” He searched under the mound of clothes, pulling a trash bin out and sweeping all the tissues in. Kai tried to withhold his laughter with a grimace.

“Yeah okay,” he yawned, pulling back the covers. “But if I find a sock in here, I’m sleeping in the bathtub.”

“That’s fair,” Pink paused. “No, wait—it’s filled with ramen.”

“I’d _say_ I’m too afraid to ask, but in reality I’m too tired to care.”

Pink grinned, flashing his sharp teeth. “Scream if you need anything,”

“Will do,” Kai said, turning his back to Pink. “Goodnight, bud,”

Pink hesitated just a second at the doorway. “Goodnight,” he said, switching off the lights and taking off down the hall.

Honestly? He didn’t know _what_ he’d been expecting. _Certainly not_ that, he thought, collapsing into the couch. _He’s kind of…nice._ And it wasn’t a like a “fake nice,” either—he knew what fake nice was. There was just something so…unexpectedly _genuine_ about the Red Ninja. It almost made him feel bad for what had to be done.

Almost.

Pink decided not to dwell on the matter any longer. Instead, he decided to take a nice, hot shower. _My first shower in a thousand years,_ he realized, walking quiet back down the hall. He was especially careful as he passed by his bedroom. No noises came from the room. Pink was grateful for having a silent sleeper as a house guest. He walked into the bathroom, carefully shutting and locking the door behind him.

“Oh,” he said, after pulling back the shower curtain. “Right—the ramen,”

Kai woke up to odd noises.

Being a Ninja, he was used to waking up in strange places and hearing strange sounds. But these were…different? Somewhere between a caterwaul and a _Ninjago’s Next Pop Sensation_ performance. _Vocal warm-ups,_ he realized. He’d heard Cole do it a few times—and had promptly turned up the volume of his video game—but this was different. They still sounded pretty wild, but the person sounded like they _actually_ had some talent. _Sorry Cole,_ he thought, sitting up.

He winced as he moved his sore body. _I should_ not _have slept in my gear,_ he thought to himself, groaning. _Come on, Kai—you’re better than that…sometimes._ He moved to pull off the belts and weapons, then he stopped. He still had no idea what Pink needed his help for, so it made sense to prepare for anything.

As soon as he opened the door, the vocalizations stopped.

He stumbled down the hallway, and into the empty living room. He looked around, blinking, the window revealing that it was sometime during the day. He shuffled into the kitchen, yawning. Pink sat on a stool near the stove, looking not particularly pleased. His dark eyes looked up at Kai, and he lifted his hand to gesture at the pan on the stovetop.

“Ramen?” He offered, sounding more pleasant than he looked.

“Um, no thanks,” he said. “Not really in the mood for bath noodles,”

Pink smirked, his demeanor lightening. “These are completely new, I promise. I got rid of the bath noodles while you were sleeping.”

Kai strolled over to the stove, inspecting the noodles. “They’re acceptable,” he said, looking down at his original. His dark eyes gleamed. “What?”

“Nothing,” Pink said. “Just…you’re really observant. _Far_ more observant than they give you credit for.”

Kai smiled, stirring the noodles. “Well, you know. Can’t let them in on _all_ of my secrets,” he paused. “Hang on—how do _you_ get to judge that? You haven’t been _stalking_ us, have you?”

Pink put his arms up in surrender. “Nah, mane—I just noticed some shit. That’s all I’m saying. All I’m saying,” his tone was playful. Coy.

“Sure,” Kai rolled his eyes, leaving the noodles and going over to the sink. “Where do you keep your glasses?”

“Top cabinet. On your left,”

“Thanks,” he grabbed one, filling it up in the sink. He took a long drink and sighed. “So, what’s the plan? What do you need my help for?”

“It’s…complicated,” Pink sighed. “I can’t really explain it, I’ll just have to show you when we get there.”

“Get _where?”_ He asked.

Pink sighed again. “Now, that’s even _more_ complicated.”

Kai groaned. “Are you going to tell me _anything?”_ He asked. “Or will I just have to guess?”

“Nah, I’ll tell you,” Pink stood up, looking at the noodles. “Sure you don’t want any?”

“I’m good,” Kai shook his head.

“Really? You’ll need some Ninja fuel, where we’re going.”

“That’s probably the last thing I expected to leave your mouth.”

“What can I say? I’m full of surprises.”

“I’m sure you are,” Kai sat down on the stool, looking up at him. “I’m just a little restless, I guess.”

“You won’t be for long,” Pink assured, transferring the noodles to a bowl. “We’ll get started pretty soon.”

“Oh, good.” Kai said, following Pink into the living room. He sat down on the couch, picking up his chopsticks. Kai sat down next to him, trying to be patient. Pink slurped up a mouthful of noodles, casting him an amused glance.

“You can ask me stuff, you know,” Pink said after swallowing. “I know you’re curious, so don’t be shy. I’m not here to subdue you… Unlike your friends,”

“Leave them out of this,” Kai muttered, looking at his feet.

“Ooh, hit a nerve, haven’t I?”

“Just…shut up. Ugh, _no,_ you haven’t.”

“So I have,” Pink slurped up another mouthful, chewing thoughtfully. “What is it? Afraid to admit something to yourself?” He pressed.

“It’s _nothing,”_ Kai snapped. “Just mind your own business, will you?”

“It is my business,” Pink said simply, slurping up more noodles. “You _are_ me, after all.”

“No, you aren’t. You said so yourself,” Kai groaned.

“We may not share the same name,” Pink shrugged, “But you’re me, all the same. So, tell me, _me,”_ he looked at Kai. “What’s bothering you?”

Kai groaned, standing up and crossing his arms. “I wonder if _my_ stubbornness annoys them this much,”

“Probably,” Pink giggled. “You mentioned a list earlier. Do they give you _tasks_ whenever you screw things up? Or is it a self-imposed thing, and you’re trying to improve yourself for them?”

“That list has _nothing_ to do with them!” Kai snarled, glaring at Pink.

“It has everything to do with them,” Pink said, his tone suddenly soft. “Whether you admit it to yourself or not, it’s all about them.”

Kai sighed, shifting his weight slightly. He uncrossed his arms. “I just…I want to be good. I want to give them my best, and that’s impossible when I’ve got so many problems.” He blushed, suddenly ashamed. _You have_ too _many problems, Kai. They always get in the way_. “That’s silly,” he chuckled, trying to play it off.

“No, no—I get it,” Pink said, setting the empty bowl on the coffee table. He patted the couch next to him. Reluctantly, Kai sat down. “But it’s not…that’s not right, okay?”

“What do you mean, ‘not right’?” This was the conversation Kai never wanted to have, not in a _billion_ years. Yet here he was, talking, with _himself_ of all people.

“A wise man once told me,” he started, staring at the popcorn ceiling, “That if giving your best means giving yourself a mental breakdown, then it’s probably not your best.”

Kai was…genuinely shocked as Pink continued. “Trust me, I know. I spent my entire childhood trying to appease unappeasable people. Trying to ‘give them my best.’ Not like I had a choice, but…it’s, it’s really effected me. Badly. Even now, a thousand years later.”

“What happened?” Kai asked. Eager not only to change the subject, but also to learn more about this strange, alternate version of himself.

Pink laughed dryly. “What a broad question. Um, do you mean with my childhood?”

“Sure,” Kai said, turning to him. “Let’s compare differences,”

Pink gave him a broken smile. “There’s probably quite a few,”

“Bet,”

“Okay, um…” Pink sighed, concentrating on the ceiling. “I was raised in a circus,” he said.

Kai’s eyes widened. “Whoa, really?”

“Yeah,” Pink chuckled. “It’s not as cool as it sounds, trust me. It was pretty terrible, actually.”

Kai shifted so he was resting on his hip, looking directly at Pink. “Well? I’m listening,”

“Bet,” Pink exhaled. “Well, I was…I was so little when I arrived. I couldn’t even walk yet, but they accepted me all the same. Aha, uh, it was a hellhole,” he looked directly into Kai’s eyes for a second, then away. “Drugs, dark magic, clowns; and it was all mine to explore. I learned to sing there, to dance there—to be an acrobat there.”

“That’s kinda cool,” Kai said. “Minus the drugs and dark magic, of course. And the clowns,”

Pink smiled. “Yeah, it could actually be pretty fun, sometimes. I was in a troop with a bunch of other kids, and we always practiced together. That was fun. I also…” he cleared his throat. Memories flooded back to him, memories of people—of _children_ —long dead. Friends. Foes. Both. “I had couple of my very best friends. We always hung out together. After shows and practices, during meals, at the carnival. Sometimes, after the carnival closed, we would climb the Ferris wheel and watch the sunset together.”

“That sounds nice,”

“It was. It’s one of my best childhood memories.”

“Any more?” Kai asked gently. Curious, but not trying to push him.

“Oh yeah,” Pink sighed, shaking away the thoughts of the children. Of his first friends. “I met the Hellbeast there,”

“You met the _what?”_

“Oh, right—you wouldn’t know. The, uh, the Beast form I was in, when we first met? It’s called a Hiroshi’s Hellbeast.”

“Like…like the _explorer_ Hiroshi?”

“Yeah,” Pink brought himself to look at his double. “You guys have him, too?”

Kai nodded. “Yeah—But but nobody knows if he’s a myth or not. The place where my friends found you is actually called ‘Hiroshi’s Labyrinth’ because, allegedly, he was the first guy to make it out of there alive.”

Pink smiled. “We were named after the legend of Hiroshi, too. When he was discovering new parts of Ninjago, he— _allegedly_ —ran into some of my ancestors. He barely survived, legend has it.”

“I wonder where the legends come from, then,” Kai pondered.

“They found a bunch of old journals, sealed away in an ancient ship.” Pink said. “Barely legible, but in them they found sketches of forest-dwelling Hellbeasts. Earliest known records ever discovered, if it wasn’t just an elaborate hoax. Hiroshi’s name was inscribed on every page,”

“Wow,” Kai breathed. “Hold on…how does that work?”

“How does what work?”

“How are…how are _you_ a Hellbeast? Are you, like, a hybrid or something?”

Pink exhaled, preparing to open up that can of worms, when the door was busted open.

“It’s been a _THOUSAND_ years,” someone hollered. “A _THOUSAND_ years, Pink! You can’t just stroll leisurely onto my turf whenever you feel like it, without warning!” A man with gray hair and round glasses stomped in, glaring furiously down at Pink. His beady eyes shifted to Kai, looking at the Fire Ninja as if he were a piece of meat. “And bring with you _vermin,_ nonetheless.”

“Hey—“ Pink slapped a hand across Kai’s mouth, silencing him.

“Hey, Lance,” he said smoothly. “Sorry, rent is going to be a little late.”

 _“Rent!? Rent!?_ You stupid boy! This transaction is completely different! I—“

“Hey, hey; calm down, okay?” Pink stood up. “It’s okay, you don’t need to worry about the payments. He has a completely different system now, apparently.”

“Who—“

“Shut up, Kai.”

“So, you’re calling this one ‘Kai’?” Lance said, immediately forgetting about—ah, _whatever_ it was he’d been screaming about. He squinted at Kai. “Looks awful familiar, this one.”

“Handsome, isn’t he?” Pink winked at Kai. He gently started pushing Lance towards the door. “Okay, so no payments—we’re settled. Go, now.”

“Hold on,” Lance said, walking past Pink to the coffee table.

Pink sucked in a breath, immediately realizing what was going to happen. “Lance, no.” He said, putting a hand on the man’s shoulder. “Leave him out of this mess,”

“You brought him here, Pink.” Lance said, squatting down in front of the table and looking at Kai from across it. “To _my_ territory. And if you don’t want to be kicked out, then he’s gotta do this.”

Kai looked off into some indiscernible space. “This doesn’t sound good,”

“He’s too _young,_ Lance,”

“The younger, the better.”

“Dude, you sound _weird_ when you say it like that, stop! Don’t—“

Two glasses materialized on the table in front of Kai. One held an opaque orange liquid, fizzing bright bubbles. The other was a thick, creamy liquid.

Pink groaned in exasperation. “That’s it. It’s over—I’m never getting what I want. Bye-bye,”

“Now, ‘Kai,’” Lance said, his beady eyes piercing Kai’s soul. “See the two glasses?”

“Uh, yeah?”

Pink facepalmed, muttering a long stream of curses under his breath.

“Poison,” he said. “Pick the right one, and you two will be free to come and go as you please. Choose wrongly? Well…you’ll find out.”

“This is unacceptable,” Pink screeched, pacing behind the old man. “I was literally just pouring out my life’s lore to this guy—and _now_ he has to choose between life and death! _Someone_ up there is running out of ideas!” He glared at the popcorn ceiling. There was a screech in the distance.

Kai looked at the glasses for about three seconds before knocking them over. Spilling their contents all over Lance. The man shouted in surprise, scrambling backwards. Kai leapt over the table, pinning Lance to the floor.

 _“Time_ is the poison,” he said, getting a firm chokehold on the man. “I could spend forever deciding which one to try. By then? You could’ve done any number of things to me—including pinning me to the ground in a chokehold.” He loosened his grip, climbing off.

Lance looked up at Kai. “I like you,” he said, then he turned his attention to a thoroughly-shocked Pink. “A whole lot better then I like _you.”_

Pink disguised his grin with a cough.

“Time _is_ the Poison,” he said as he stood up, turning his attention to Kai. “Men spend their entire lives worrying about it. They make it so important that it corrodes them, _wastes_ them.”

Kai grinned. “Good thing I never waste time thinking things through, then,”

A smile tugged at Lance’s lips. “You’re a good kid, Kai,” he said. “You’re free to come and go anytime you want, both of you.” Lance was suddenly at the doorway, though neither of the boys saw him move. “And, Pink?’’

“Yessir?”

“I’m sorry. About everything,” and he was gone.

“Odd,” Kai said.

“Meh,” Pink shut the door behind him. “There are weirder things in the Realms then _Lance._ You’ll see,”

“I’ll see,” Kai blinked. “So, we’re traveling realms, then?”

“Yep,” Pink nodded. “All 32!”

“I am shocked at this new revelation,” Kai said, unflinching. “Truly, this changes everything.”

Pink grinned. He appreciated some good sarcasm. “The Realms of Corruption and Creation,” he side-hugged Kai, gesturing to the vast expanse of the living room. “I hope your health insurance covers blown minds, Kai.”

“I don’t think it does, unfortunately,”

“Ahh. Shame,” he let Kai go. “We’re just going to have to try and keep your head intact, then.”

“I’d greatly appreciate that,” Kai said. “So…how do I help?

“Oh, yeah.” _Right. You’re_ helping _me._ Pink looked away as an uncomfortable feeling settled in his stomach. “Well, it’s…it’s complicated,” he swallowed. What…what _was_ that uneasy feeling?

Kai crossed his arms. “Try me,” he challenged, smirking. “In the past 24 hours, I’ve escaped a zoo with one of the most vicious creatures known to humankind. I’ve also met _myself,_ realized that all knowledge I had prior to this was built on lies…and to top it all off? I just bullshitted my way through a life test with a crazy _time entity._ I think I’m ready for anything ‘complicated’ you have to say, sir.”

Pink forced a smile. “Okay then, Mr. Confidence,” he said, the noodles in his stomach swimming. What, in the name of the FSM, was that feeling?

 _Guilt, perhaps?_ Said a voice in the back of his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pink, you absolute bastard!  
> (Someone help our poor Firey Boi)
> 
> Hello, my sweet children! I have returned with another chapter. Sorry, I had planned to release it yesterday, but things got in the way. I am okay now :)
> 
> Next chapter, we will check up on the other Ninja and how they are faring without the Ninja of Fire. 
> 
> Thank you so, so much Luna. For everything. I hope you get better soon!
> 
> Theories? Questions? Bug me on tumblr! @lastofbastet
> 
> -Fran


	4. Press "X" to Doubt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: Pink being a bastard. Secretively. Also, cussing. And self-loathing, lots of that.
> 
> Thanks Luna! Sorry I got this one to you a little late!

Lloyd groaned, collapsing into his bed on the _Bounty._ Two weeks. Kai had been missing for _two whole weeks._ Gone without a single trace, which seemed impossible to the Green Ninja. Especially considering the absolute chaos he and that beast had left the freeway in. Nya was completely beside herself. She spent every waking moment searching for her lost brother, and nobody could could console her. Not even Jay. FSM knew the poor guy was trying, though. Alongside trying to keep their vehicles in a state of repair all by himself.

So they were down to three Ninja on constant patrol, alongside one Samurai X. And things were getting so much _harder._ Patches of what could only be described as corruption were popping up all over Ninjago Island. The life around these fissures withered and grayed, alongside any living creature who was unfortunate enough to be near it. Rumors of the Overlord’s return were prevalent among the frightened citizens of Ninjago. Despite constant reassurance that this didn’t appear to be a case—according to Zane, anyways, who was a reputable Overlord expert—panic gripped the masses.

Needless to say, they were all going crazy.

And on top of all that, Lloyd just _missed_ his best friend. He felt like things would be a lot easier here if he just had the Fire Master’s love and support. Oh, how he missed that. He missed being able to count on the Red Ninja. To be there for him, to listen to him when nobody else would, no matter what Lloyd had to say. _I miss you, Kai._ He told him. _I hope you come back soon. I don’t know how much longer we can go on without you._

His communicator blipped from the bedside table.

“What _now?”_ Lloyd groaned, reaching for the device.

There was an explosion in the distance.

“I’m sorry, but you can’t wear that—not where we’re going,”

Kai looked at his gi and frowned. “Why not?” He asked.

“You can’t wear anything you can be easily identified by. The Realms are full of dangerous entities, and they’ll use that sort of thing against you.”

“Anything else I should know? Should I change my hairdo, too?”

“That’s actually not a bad idea,”

“Oh, come _on!”_ Kai grumbled. “I was kidding!”

“Sorry. Safety first,” Pink flashed his signature smirk. “How long is your hair?” He asked teasingly.

“Just, shut up.” Kai turned, walking down the hall to the bathroom. He stopped in the doorway, calling back over his shoulder: “Are there any _clean_ clothes in this household?”

“Good question,” Pink followed him down the hall, opening the door to his cluttered bedroom. He waded through the unclean clothes in this household, to the closet at the other end of the room. “Yeah, some!” He called.

“Good,” he responded. “Let’s hope they fit.”

“‘Let’s hope they fit’ he says,” Pink grumbled to himself. “It’s not like we’re the same person or anything—no, not at all!” He came to the bathroom doorway. Kai sat on the toilet, his belts and weapons discarded on the floor. Pink tossed the bundle of clothes at him. Kai caught them easily.

“Thanks,” Kai said, standing up.

“You’re welcome,” Pink turned around, walking out and shutting the door behind him.Kai sighed, locking the door. He walked over to the shower, pulling back the spotted pink curtains and turning on the warm water. _What the hell is going on?_ He asked himself, watching the final traces of ramen swirl down the drain. For a moment, he wondered if he was trapped in some crazy weird dream. He would probably wake up any second now, roll out of his bed on the Bounty, and report for duty. In a few hours, he’d forget all about this. He waited awhile, sitting half dressed on the toilet as the room filled with steam. He even pinched himself.

Nothing happened.

He sighed, stripping the rest of his clothes off before going into the shower. He stood under the stream of warm water, thinking over everything. To start things off, a reality existed where _he_ was the Green Ninja…or, at least the Chosen One. Here, Garmadon was a good guy; a savior. And the First Spinjitzu Master—the Creator of everything he knew and loved, not to mention Lloyd’s effing _grandfather_ —was a terrible being who had, allegedly, destroyed an entire race of people. _Why? Why would he do that?_ He thought about what Pink said. _Does he really hate me—_ him, _hate_ him _—that much?_

Pink was unpleasant and abrasive, certainly; but Kai knew there was a good heart under there. Under all the pain. He was just hiding it, because he probably thought acting nice made him seem vulnerable. Kai chuckled. Maybe the smallest, most delicate tear slipped from his eye and onto the tile, making its way to the bath noodles. Maybe not. _Definitely not!_ No, it was definitely just the shower water. It wasn’t Kai realizing—no, _remembering,_ remembering—how awful it felt to keep up that facade. How terrible it was to have to act a certain way, to play a particular part, to wear a distinct kind of mask, to be a specific person that _wasn’t you_ in order to survive around untrustworthy, toxic people.

No, not at all. 

_You’re so stupid, falling for his act._ A part of him said. _He’s_ clearly _not telling you everything, but guess what? You’re following him around like a little, frightened puppy that knows no better than to pursue its abusive master. You fool! You’re just setting yourself up for pain, to be stabbed in the back. You never learn from your mistakes. Yet you still wonder why the others don’t need you. Why they only need your powers. Because without them, you’re worthless. You have no meaningful purpose outside of fire. You’re insufferable, Kai. Truly, you are._

Kai swallowed, blinking back tears, running his hand through his long, soaked hair. The voice was right.

_What’s so stupid about helping someone in need?_ Another part of him chimed. _It’s in your job description to do so. He’s clearly in pain—he clearly needs you, Kai! He has a meaningful purpose for you, you just have to wait for it, okay?_

_Okay,_ he thought. And that was the end of that.

Kai decided against using the millennia-old toiletries that sat in the shower. He concentrated on just scrubbing himself with his hands and the water. He would’ve much preferred an _actual_ wash, but this was fine for now. He’d bathed with less. Kai turned off the water and peeked out of the pink polka-dotted curtain. He groaned when he saw no towels. He debated whether it would be better to just let himself dry off or ask Pink for a (clean) towel.

Since he’d already gone without soap, he decided the towel would be okay.

He opened the door slightly, hooking a long, dripping lock of hair behind his ear. “Hey, Pink!?” He called down the hall.

It sounded like someone dropped a bunch of pots. “Yeah?” He responded casually.

“Do you have any clean towels?”

“Um, I don’t know—I’ll check!”

“Okay,” Kai shut the door and returned to the toilet. He sat and waited, with only his thoughts for company.

Pink heard the door lock behind him and the shower turn on. “About time,” he muttered to himself. “One less pig in the sty,” he sighed. _I should probably clean my bedroom,_ he thought. _I’m not exactly a university student anymore, this is not really acceptable._ He stood in the hall for the longest time, debating, before finally giving into his responsible side. He retraced his steps down the hall, walking back into his untidy room.

_I’m such an animal,_ he joked to himself, beginning to toss his old shirts into a pile. His shorts, boxers, and spandex soon followed. Pink stared at the towering hill of laundry looming over him.

“I’m not scared of you,” he remarked, turning around to pick up the trash splayed across his floor. He’d completely forgotten about the bland gray carpet beneath. He sighed, patting the old floor. It was comforting, to be in the presence of something so much older than him.

After removing most of the clutter, he decided that avoiding the laundry wasn’t a good idea. Even if he didn’t return to this place for a thousand more years. He transferred the mountain by piles to the living room. He ignored the fact that most of the clothes were as stiff as cardboard and got to work separating them by color. Darks, lights, colors and pinks. Instead of one big hill, five medium-sized bumps surrounded him. He lifted his arms above his head, the words _“Clothing Cult”_ flitting through his mind briefly. He put his arms down.

There was a communal laundromat located in the basement. A beat-up washer and dryer. BYOLD. (Bring Your Own Laundry Detergent.) Hopefully he still had some. Pink sighed, walking into the kitchen.

He heard the bathroom door open. “Hey, Pink?” Kai called.

He opened the cabinet under the sink, pulling out a bunch of pots that weren’t supposed to be there. He allowedthem to clatter all over the floor before responding. “Yeah?”

“Do you have any clean towels?”

“Um,” Pink paused briefly, thinking. “I don’t know, I’ll check!”

“Okay,” he heard the bathroom door shut again.

Pink headed down the hall, passing the bathroom, opening the closet door. Brooms, filming equipment, and linens were stacked precariously on the wire shelves. He spotted a mound of towels resting on top of a box labeled “OLD VIDEO STUFF” and cautiously reached to grab it. He pulled a pale yellow towel off the top, waiting for the junk to collapse onto him. Nothing happened. He sighed in relief, shutting the door.

“Hey,” he knocked on the door thrice. “I found one,”

The door opened, and Kai’s wrist shot out to grab it. “Thanks,” he said gratefully. The hand lingered at the door. “Can you..” he trailed off.

Pink shifted his weight. “Can I…?”

“Never mind. Thanks, I’ll be out in a bit.” The door swung shut.

Pink sighed, walking down the hall again. He made his way back into the kitchen, picking through the scattered pans, and rummaging through the cabinet. He found a half-full bottle of laundry detergent. He grinned triumphantly. _Good. I don’t have a cent to my name._ He walked back out to the living room, surprised to see that Kai was already there.

He withheld laughter when he saw Kai’s hair.

The chocolate-colored locks reached almost halfway to the Ninja’s lean shoulders. Slanted bangs rested slightly above his right eye. Any provocation whatsoever and they would cover it completely. Kai looked half-playful, half-embarrassed.

He grinned at the Master of Fire.

Kai fought his own smile. “Not like you can say a lot, regular cut.” he growled playfully.

“I-I’m not,” Pink chuckled, reaching forwards. Kai let him touch it. He flicked the bang over Kai’s eye. “Wow…its deceptively long.”

“A secret I like to keep to myself,”

Pink forced himself to pull his damp fingers back. “It looks kinda dope and trashy at the same time,” he said good-naturedly.

“Thanks,” Kai said, hooking some of it behind his ear.

“Why don’t you wear it like that more often?” He asked. “It suits you,”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Kai waved his hand dismissively, looking away. “Why don’t you do your laundry more often?”

“Because my life takes priority over my clean shirts,” he remarked, bending down to pick up the dark pile. “The machines are in the basement. I’ll run this load and be back real quick, okay?”

Kai hesitated before replying. “Alright. Then you’ve got some explaining to do,” he said.

“More?” Pink groaned, securing the jar of detergent on top of the pile.

Kai moved to open the door for him. “More,” he affirmed, shutting the door behind Pink.

Pink sighed, walking down the dull halls. _How much explaining do I have to do to get this guy to trust me?_ He wondered, not lingering on the thought long.

He hopped off the elevator, heading for the main lobby. He passed Patricia, who didn’t even acknowledge his existence in favor of her show.

“Nice talking, Pat,” he called back.

“What?” She said, presumably without looking.

Pink didn’t respond, opening the door that led to the basement. He wondered for the millionth time why the elevator couldn’t lead down there, too. Because it was a [_lot_](http://www.apple.com) harder to break your neck in an elevator than on these old, godforsaken stairs. He sighed with relief when he got to the bottom safely, and he wandered across the barebones room. He dropped his load in front of the washing machine, pleased that he had made it this far.

He made sure the thing was safely plugged in before dumping his clothes into it and turning it on. He watched, transfixed, as the water fell gracefully onto the clothes. _Water, like Kai’s Nya: the Master of Water._ _Weird._ Kai’s version of everything was just so… _off._ So horribly twisted and backwards. It was hard for him to imagine his little sister Nya as anything other than the passionate (and furious) Master of Fire. Scratch that, it was hard for Pink to imagine _himself_ as the Master of Fire. It just didn’t feel natural, not at all. He had Golden Power, _not_ fire.

And then there was this vile, horrible insult to Garmadon. Master Garmadon was a little rough, there was no denying that; but there was nothing except kindness and empathy in his heart. He cared dutifully for his Realm, even though that ultimately meant turning against his heritage. Pink felt a tear on his cheek, remembering the kind man. The first person to ever _actually_ care for him was practically having his grave pissed on by this…this _other_ Garmadon. This Garmadon with an actual, biological, whining child.

That may be the part that disgusted him the most. The dark lord had replaced Pink with his own descendant. He was a bastard, go figure; just like his goody-goody granddaddy. He didn’t seem to care about the people close to him, just about the alleged “greater good.” _The nut doesn’t fall far from the tree,_ he thought bitterly, clenching his fists. Him. The nut. _Lloyd._ Lloyd and _all_ of his pathetic little cronies. None of them ever seemed to see past things that directly effected them. _Fools. Shortsighted fools, the lot of them!_ Unlike their original versions—unlike _Pink’s_ team—they were all awful. They were all selfish, careless, and immature.

_All of them?_ Asked a voice in his mind tentatively.

Pink felt his fists unclench, his seething hatred for these “Ninja” draining in favor of answering the question. _No,_ he realized after a bit. _Not_ all _of them are like that._ Kai was upstairs, waiting patiently in his room. Waiting to help him. Despite the fact that Pink had taken him from his home, revealed the ugliest of truths in the bluntest manner possible, insulted him repeatedly, and probably more; Kai was prepared to help him. A feeling that was definitely guilt crawled within Pink as he realized everything he’d done to Kai. And the terrible things he had _yet_ to do. The things he was keeping from the Ninja, out of fear that he wouldn’t—

He thought back to Ninjago. Back to when he’d lost everything. (Again.) He thought of the Gatekeeper, and he thought of puppets. He swallowed. In all of his terrible agony, he’d lost one of the single, precious things that separated him from the evils of the Realms: his morality. His vision swam in front of him and he stumbled backwards. He clenched his fists at the sudden revelation: _I’m a villain. I’m someone willing to sacrifice another person in order to meet my goals._ Worse yet, it was someone completely innocent. It wasn’t Kai’s fault that Ninjago had been destroyed. _But I’m holding him accountable for it, aren’t I?_ He asked himself. _I’ve been justifying this…this_ manipulation _to myself by putting the blame on Kai. Blame that isn’t Kai’s to take._

_I’ve become exactly like_ him _,_ Pink realized. _I’ve become like the dark lord._

Shame burned at him from the inside. _What would Garmadon think?_ He wondered. _The boy you helped, the boy you fixed, willing to ransom someone else off for his own gain. You would be so, so ashamed of me, wouldn’t you?_ And…and what would _Nya_ think? Jay? Zane? Cole? Bunny?! (Bunny might not actually care or anything, but that was besides the point.) _I’ve failed you all,_ he realized. _For about the third effing time, I’ve failed you all._

When would the vicious cycle _stop?_ Tears he didn’t know he’d been crying spilled all over his face and body. _When will I stop losing everything important to me?!_ He sniffled, wiping his face with his hand. _Will it ever stop?_ He wondered.

“Not like I have much left to lose,” Pink muttered aloud, his voice shaky in his own ears.

And he didn’t. Vengeance was really all he had going for him. Vengeance that needed aid from… from Kai. So, he had two things left: vengeance and Kai. It wasn’t much, but it was more than nothing. Pink sighed, turning around and looking at the open washer. He rested his elbow on the beaten rim, placing his chin on his fists. _They’re all I’ve got,_ he said to himself. _And I can’t_ really _have one without the other._ So he had to keep up this act with Kai. He couldn’t tell him his plans, at least not yet.

_Fool,_ growled a voice in his head. The voice of reason, he presumed. _You’ve made a friend, you idiot. Now you plan to waste him, to hurt yourself by hurting_ him. _You never learn from your mistakes, do you?_ Pink grunted. _I know, I know; I’m insufferable. Isn’t that right, Pink?_ He asked. There was no answer, the voice in his head had gone silent. It had done its duty, planted those seeds of morality. It was Pink’s call now.

Pink’s choice.

Kai reclined on the couch, staring at the three remaining piles of laundry. He briefly considered picking one up and going off to find Pink before realizing he’d probably get himself lost. So here he stayed, flipping the drawstrings of the gray hoodie, flicking his hair out of his face. Being useless. _Why am I useless?_ He wondered to the laundry. _Why do I have so many problems?_ It drove him crazy. He was supposed to be a Ninja, to _help_ people! But he was never good enough. He was always too slow. Too cocky. Too reckless. _Too stupid,_ he thought, remembering the things Cole told him. Told everyone. He bit his lip, realizing his friend was right. He _was_ stupid.

_But you’re helping someone,_ he pointed out…to himself. _Despite your issues, you’re helping Pink. Doesn’t that count for something?_ Suppose it did. But how long would it be until he _wasn’t_ helpful anymore? How long would it be until his problems took over, and he became a burden instead of a helper? _You’re the problem, Kai. You’ve always_ been _the problem. The sooner you admit that to yourself, the better. You’ll stop hurting people then._ A voice said solemnly. He ignored it, despite knowing it was the truth.

There was a knock on the door.

“Pizza man,” said Pink from the other side.

“Not hungry,” Kai said, moving to open the door.

Pink bared his teeth, a bare facsimile of his smile. “Good, ‘cuz I got nothing.”

Kai snorted, letting the door swing shut behind his doppelgänger.

“Hey, that’s my hoodie,” Pink said, flipping the hood off of Kai’s head.

“It’s mine now,” Kai said, flipping the hood back on and pulling the drawstring in tightly. “Go find your own,”

“Another time,” Pink said. “We’ve got to get going.”

“Good,” Kai loosened the drawstring. “To where?”

Pink smiled. It was an actual grin this time. “To the Realms, my friend.”

“But…your laundry,”

“Forget it. There’s stuff I want to show you, and it’s _way_ more exciting than my thousand-year-old T-shirts,”

“Fair argument. Where to first?”

“Dunno. Let’s just play some Realm Roulette,”

“Sounds like a decent plan,”

“It is, trust me.” Pink’s voice wavered on the last two words.

“I do,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh no. Oh no, no, no.
> 
> I am so, very sorry everyone. I meant to get this out a day earlier. It is a little shorter than usual, and for that I apologize. I hope the high stakes in the upcoming chapters makes up for it.
> 
> Thanks to Luna for encouraging me and being my friend. You are the reason this fic even made it out of the woodworks, so thank you!
> 
> And thank you to all of my wonderful readers! You guys motivate me. I hope you like the story as it progresses. 
> 
> Questions? Theories? My tumblr @lastofbastet is ready to meet your demands. 
> 
> I love you all, my sweet children. 
> 
> -Fran


	5. Cosmic Oopsies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Realm Roulette!!  
> Trigger warning: general unpleasantness. And Ninja angst.
> 
> Thank you again Luna.

**Realm 11, the Scum Fields, Current Day**

_“My_ Ninjago was created alongside fifteen other Realms. We all took part in the Great Balance, of the light and dark.” Pink explained, hopping deftly across the mini islands that dotted the swampy terrain. Kai was close behind. “All lived under the dark lord’s rule. After my inception as the Chosen One, the dark lord sent me to travel Realms on his behalf, collecting their payments to his ‘great empire.’”

“I’m guessing they didn’t like you very much,” Kai grunted, nearly slipping into the slimy water.

“Nah, they didn’t,” Pink said. “They almost killed me, lots of times.”

“Fun,” Kai said, then he paused. “Wait, are they still out to get you?”

Pink shrugged. “Probably,” he said, launching himself off the small island and into the scummy water without warning.

**Realm 8, Collection of Cities**

“As time progressed,” Pink swerved the bike to avoid Central City’s traffic. Kai clutched the boy in front of him, fearing for his life. “Things began to expand. The Great Balance shifted as the Realms multiplied. I couldn’t tell you why, I don’t think the dark lord himself knows.”

“Interesting,” Kai said, his brain rattling in his skull.

“It is,” Pink said. “Very few beings could travel freely between them anymore. It required more energy, so there were more payments, and less people liked me”

Kai felt his heart skip a beat as a car sped in their direction. Pink looked at it with immense, unadulterated boredom.

“Bring it on,” He yawned, pedaling faster. Kai screeched.

**Realm 13, the Null**

“Still, it was awhile before anything truly catastrophic happened.” They floated a few inches above the gray ground. Kai tied his hoody’s drawstrings around Pink’s wrist, just in case anything happened. “I even made some friends in the new Realms. Thaddeus, Master Writer of the Cloud Kingdom.” Pink suddenly went quiet. “I wonder what happened to him.”

Kai had no answers.

**Realm 14, Temples of Knowledge**

“Then I was gifted by a personal visit by the dark lord himself,” Pink was shushed by several people around them, all clutching thick books in their slate-colored hands. Pink shrugged, leaning in closer and talking at a lower tone. He exhaled slowly, avoiding looking into Kai’s eyes. “To alert me of my intimate failure to perform his will.”

“Harsh,” Kai whispered, despite it not really being his strong suit. They were hushed again.

Pink rolled his dark eyes, trying to mask some of the pain. “Unfair, more like. I was promptly stripped of my powers, and escorted back to a completely dead Ninjago. My team was nowhere to be found in the ravaged, dark lands.”

“I’m so sorry,” Kai said, resting his hand on his original’s forearm. Pink fought the urge to jerk his arm away, keeping his face trained on his own two feet.

“Me, too,” he sighed, blinking back tears courtesy of the horrible memory. They were kicked out of the Temple instead of hushed this time.

**Realm 6, Pleasure Planet**

Pink and Kai watched the sun setting over the ocean, their feet dangling over a (very unsafe) cliffside.

“I couldn’t imagine, having everything torn from me like that, with no chance of ever getting it back.” Kai said quietly, trying to look his new friend in the eyes. Pink turned his face away for about the millionth time that day. Kai pursed his lips.

“I’m glad,” he choked out. “I hope you… I hope you never have to.” Pink managed.

Kai said nothing, resting his arm on the other’s shoulder.

They sat together in silence long after the sun went down.

**Realm 5, Ground State (who even knows anymore!?)**

“I never knew there were more than sixteen Realms,” Kai said, reclining in the field, his eyes closed.

“That’s because the dark lord didn’t want you to know,” Pink shot back, though he sounded more sad than angry.

“Well, too bad,” Kai snorted. “I know _now.”_

“He’ll want you dead, now that I’ve told you.”

“Bring it on. Honestly, it’s nothing all that new,”

Pink chortled. “Do you think he hates you, too?”

“Probably,” Kai opened his eyes, looking at the starry night sky. “I _am_ you, after all.”

“Yeah,” Pink said after awhile. “I guess you are.”

They were disrupted from their conversation by a deep rumbling noise.

“Guess the planet’s hungry,” Pink said.

“Yeah,” Kai responded. “Like Cole.”

“Oh…” Pink’s eyes widened as he came to the realization.

“Oh, _no!”_ The earth rumbled beneath their feet as they shot up.

“Quick! Jump on!” Where Pink had stood just moments before, now stood the Hellbeast. He crouched down, offering Kai his broad back. Kai accepted, leaping on swiftly. He straddled the muscular shoulders, grasping at the thick swathes of fur for balance as they shot forwards.

They made quite the sight: a hoodie-clad boy riding atop a thirteen-foot-tall creature. Trying desperately to find shelter from the oncoming earthquake. The earth shuddered and trembled below the Hellbeast, but many millennia of instinct dictated his path across the unsure earth. Ground State’s landscape was flat, and offered no viable shelter. Finding himself unable to reach the Gatekeeper, the Hellbeast concentrated on trying to open a rift to the Ethereal Divide himself.

Hellbeasts were, perhaps, the most unique creatures in all the Realms. Unlike humans—even Pink, the form this particular Hellbeast shared—they had a fluid relationship with the Divide. But unlike any entities that sprung from the Divide itself, they were not held back by the same Rules. They could come and go as they pleased, but it was quite a bit harder to do that whilst carrying a screaming human boy.

Piercing purple eyes stared at the writhing landscape, trying desperately to concentrate before the earth opened beneath his large paws. The Hellbeast and human screeched simultaneously as they fell…straight into the swirling vortex that is the Gatekeeper. Luckily, Kai still had a solid grip on the beast’s fur as they fall into the vast, flashing void that is the Ethereal Divide.

They were deposited, tangled unpleasantly together, on the quiet hill overlooking Hyper Century’s main city.

Pink groaned after control was returned to him, his vision swaying.

“Pink?” Kai gently shook his shoulders.

“Your…your rebound time is remarkable,” Pink gasped out, struggling to stand.

“It’s a lifestyle,” he joked. “You okay?”

“Yeah, fine. Ugh,” he shook his head, his vision clearing. “Hey, why are we back here?”

Kai shrugged. “Ask your friend,” he said, pointing upwards.

Pink turned to the Gatekeeper, immediately sensing something off with the entity. Something was definitely disturbing them.

“What?” He asked, trying to quell the panic that rose within him.

_“I cannot seem to find your friends, little cub.”_

“What do you mean?!” He cried out.

“What? What are they saying?”

“Quiet, Kai—I’ll tell you in a bit.” Kai was silent. Pink kept his dark gaze trained on the Gatekeeper. “What do you mean by that?” His voice audibly shook.

_“That is not the worst of it, I am afraid,”_ they murmured. _“After I discovered them without Garmadon, I began searching for them elsewhere. But I was unable to enter many of the Realms. I am losing access to some of them, it appears.”_

Pink paled, if that were even possible. “Why—why would that happen?” He spluttered, turning away from the Gatekeeper to look at the city. “What, _what_ in Garmadon’s good name, could prevent the literal _doorway between Realms_ from accessing them?! Not even the dark lord _himself_ could take that power from you!”

“What!?” Kai exclaimed. Screw the call for silence.

_“I am not sure, old friend,”_ they said. _“It appears things are changing. Spiraling out of control,”_

“Yeah, uh; I mean, obviously.” he turned to Kai, looking him in his eyes for the first time in days. They were clouded with confusion, but also determined. “They can’t… they can’t open up all of the Realms anymore. Something’s wrong,”

“What?!” Kai gasped. “Could…could the FSM have something to do with that?”

“Maybe,” he looked back to the Gatekeeper, anxiety making his voice shake. “Hey, could we try something?”

_“Of course, my friend,”_

“Try returning to Ground State. See if you can. Then come back.”

They were gone.

Pink and Kai waited together, a heavy, scared silence hanging between them.

The Gatekeeper returned in a flash of light. _“I cannot,”_ they said quietly.

“Oh no,” Pink brought his hands to his face, pressing against his eyes. “Oh no, no, no, no, _no!”_

Kai wanted to ask what Pink was thinking. But he didn’t. Instead, he remained still, arms crossed, eyes boring into the dirt.

“The Realms, they’re… they’re dying.” He said with horrible realization. “Something happened to the Great Balance. It’s been thrown off somehow, and now it’s effecting everything.”

_“The destruction of Ninjago!”_ The Gatekeeper exclaimed, the anger in their voice clear.

Pink clenched his jaw. “Of course, of course, of course, _of course!”_ he wailed.

“Oh no,” Kai breathed, both terribly curious and terribly afraid. Suddenly he was hit with an epiphany. “Wait!” He gasped.

“What?” Pink grumbled, face still buried in his hands.

“I… _my_ Ninjago. We’ve been overworking for _weeks,_ trying to compensate for all of the threats that’ve been popping up.” He looked at the peaceful city, twinkling in the starlight. “I think it’s the Great Balance trying to keep itself intact,”

_“Great theory,”_ the Gatekeeper uttered with unfortunate belief. Though Kai could not understand.

“What do we do now?” Pink mumbled hopelessly, collapsing into the dirt, sobbing. “It’s only a matter of time until the Great Balance collapses completely and all the Realms cease to exist.”

“Hey,” Kai bent down, putting a comforting hand on Pink’s trembling shoulder. “We’ll figure it out, okay?”

“Figure _what_ out!?” Snapped Pink bitterly. “How can we _possibly_ fix this cosmic disaster!?”

“I don’t know yet,” Kai admitted. “But we’ll figure this out, okay? We’ll fix this, we _will,_ together. I don’t care _how_ much it costs me, how far we’ve got to go; but we’re going to save the Realms, okay? You can count on that,”

Pink cried harder. From the pain. From the guilt. From the terrible responsibility that had just been placed on his—placed on _their_ shoulders. Kai sat down next to him, wrapping his arm around the stone-colored boy. He gasped for air, his chest heaving desperately as choked sobs left him. _Why do you have to be this way?_ He demanded silently. _Why are you so_ selfless!? _Don’t you get it? That makes it so much harder to ignore what must be done! To ignore what_ I _must do!_

_“He is right. It…it can still be fixed, little cub,”_ said the Gatekeeper.

Pink looked up, his face splotched with various shades of gray. “How?” He sniffled. Kai squeezed him comfortingly. Pink no longer had the urge or strength to push away.

_“Golden Power,”_ they said. _“When unlocked, you can use it to recreate the Realms. If we continue with our original plan, the chance remains to mend the Balance.”_

Pink wiped his damp face with a trembling hand, considering. If they went to retrieve Garmadon—the tricky part he needed Kai for—he could help Pink reach his true potential again. Then, theoretically, his Golden Power _could_ be used to remake the Realms. _This plan is insane enough to actually work._ Still, his heart cried out for all those lost people. Their homes. Their lives. He looked to the sky. _We can stop this,_ he thought determinedly. Though many were already lost, they could stop the blight from spreading much further. If they acted quickly, that was.

“Okay,” he said softly, moving to stand. Kai helped wordlessly. “We’ll try it,”

“Alright,” Kai nodded. Then: “Try what?”

“You’ll see, my friend, you’ll see.” Pink looked at the vortex. “Hey, G, can we get an escort?”

_“Of course,”_ they hummed, sounding encouraged.

“An escort to _where?”_ Kai asked, linking arms with Pink.

Pink turned his tear-streaked face towards Kai, grinning brokenly.

“To the Realm of the Departed, my friend.”

**Ninjago City, Days Ago**

Lloyd leapt off the side of the Bounty, watching terrified people streak past him. He set off on a path towards the pillar of smoke rising from Eastern Ninjago City, a sinking feeling entering his gut.

“Can anyone hear me? Hello!?” He gasped into his communicator, sprinting towards the source of the explosion. White noise was the only response. “There’s been a—there’s been an explosion. East Ninjago City. I’m checking it out.”

The white noise continued.

Frightened people ran the opposite way as him, causing a lot of confusion. Lloyd was nearly trampled once or twice. Eventually, the Green Ninja was alone in the streets, with only the acrid stench of a distant gasoline fire for company. His hearth beat quickly. _I can’t do this alone,_ he thought desperately. _I need my team, where are they?!_ He was pulled abruptly from his thoughts by banging, smashing, and screaming. Lloyd turned to the sound of the terrible noise, his vibrant emerald eyes widening in shock at what he saw.

Of all things, a _dump truck_ appeared to have come to life. Slimy gray limbs poked crookedly from under its beaten wheels, and what might be described as a head protruded from its beaten hood. It held a car over its greasy head, a terrified family still inside of it.

“Hey!” Lloyd shouted, charging a ball of energy in his fist.

The monstrosity turned around, revealing two headlights-turned-eyes staring at him blankly. A growl erupted from somewhere deep within its mechanisms. It then dropped the car, causing Lloyd grimace before sighing in relief. The family was alright. They quickly collected themselves and scrambled away, completely silent out of fear.

Without any further hesitation, Lloyd launched the ball of energy. It was a warning shot. It hit the malformation’s right shoulder-thing-part, sending it stumbling a few steps backwards.

Lloyd grinned, despite the situation. “Take _that,_ ugly.” He jibed.

Another growl, and the monster charged itself at him. Lloyd leapt out of the way deftly, and the thing lurched forwards, tumbling directly into the asphalt. Lloyd grinned triumphantly, before something picked him up and hurled him across the street.

“Oof!” He gasped, landing in the pavement with a small _crunch_ noise. He became aware of a pain in his left leg.

A monstrosity of a minivan stood besides the dump truck, which had found its feet. They advanced on him slowly, their oozing limbs leaving a wet trail on the cement. Lloyd groaned in pain and annoyance, forcing his body to stand. Sharp pain flared up in his leg, and he fought with gravity to remain standing. He charged up another ball of energy, larger this time, and pitched it at the advancing creatures.

They let out mechanical-sounding whines, half collapsing onto each other. Lloyd took advantage of this. He was slowed greatly by whatever damage had just been done to his leg, but he got around the stumbling atrocities and fired energy blasts from behind. They collapsed into a slippery heap, and Lloyd sighed with relief.

Thank the FSM for his Ninja reflexes.

The Master of Energy twirled out of the way just in time as a chunk of asphalt was tossed at him. It met the ground he’d stood on mere moments before, crumbling instantly. He whirled around, wincing at the pain in his leg. A semi-tractor-trailer towered above him, its many octopus-like limbs flicking menacingly.

“Oh, no,” Lloyd turned on his good leg, hobbling down the street as quickly as he could. He heard metal screeching and dared not look behind him. He panted, hoping the adrenaline rush would last long enough for him to beat these guys.

There was a blasting noise and a groan. Lloyd turned, watching in abundant relief as the Samurai X mech descended from the smoke-filled sky. Zane leapt off the back of his girlfriend’s mech, running to Lloyd’s side immediately.

“We are sorry for the delay,” he said, squatting down into a fighting stance next to Lloyd.

“I’m just glad you guys are here,” Lloyd said, his fears alleviated. “Any word from the others?”

“We sent out our own global distress signal,” Zane said. P.I.X.A.L. blasted away at the semi. “They should be here fairly soon.”

Lloyd launched orbs of energy at the dump truck. Zane froze the minivan, though the ice disintegrated as soon as it hit the slime coating its limbs. P.I.X.A.L. and the semi were fully engaged in a one-on-one, tearing at each other with mechanical zeal.

“Did someone order a knuckle sandwich?” Cole grunted, preparing his Earth Punch.

“Hey, Cole!” Lloyd exclaimed, trying to wave at him, stay balanced, and fight the dump truck at the same time. It wasn’t going too well.

“Hey,” responded the Master of Earth, punching the minivan.

“Thanks,” Zane hissed, nodding at him, before jumping at the abomination again.

Cole ran over to help Lloyd with the dump truck, punching one of its thick limbs.

“Ugh!” He exclaimed, trying to flick some of the scum off. “Gross!”

“I know,” Lloyd panted. “Haven’t found their weakness yet.”

“How about a glass of water?” A stream of the clear liquid shot at the dump truck. There was a sizzling noise and a mechanized shriek as the thing collapsed into a smoldering pile, stunned; at least for the moment.

“Hey! That actually worked!” Jay clapped, jinxing it. The thing stood back up, though its movements seemed far less coordinated.

“Nice of you guys to join the party,” Lloyd said, swiveling on his good leg to face the stumbling truck as it approached.

“This party has some pretty ugly piñatas,” Jay remarked, shooting a crackling stream of lightning at the thing. It wiggled helplessly, then froze. Sparks flew from its beaten shell, landing in the gasoline puddle beneath. The thing went up in flames, collapsing again. It did not stand back up.

“Fire!” Lloyd exclaimed. He turned to where his friends had begun to battle the other beasts. “Hey!” He called. “Lure them over here!”

They didn’t seem to hear him, much to Lloyd’s chagrin. He sighed, wobbling over to them. Nya soaked the already ice-coated and Earth-Punched minivan, before Jay shocked it. THe thing began to seize up, its movements becoming as slow and uncoordinated as the dump truck’s had been.

“Hey!” Lloyd shouted breathlessly, slightly annoyed. They turned their faces to him. Lloyd pointed at the flaming pile of dump truck parts. “The _fire,”_ he said in an agitated tone.

They all nodded and _ahed,_ beginning to corral the lumbering creature to the spreading puddle of flames. P.I.X.A.L. seemed to have caught on, as she began to concentrate her attacks on the semi so its back was to the blaze. As soon as the minivan finished convulsing, they all concentrated their efforts on knocking the semi backwards. Jay and Zane shocked and froze its goopy legs while Nya, Cole, and Lloyd concentrated their attacks on its torso-thing. Kind of. They tripped over each other for a bit, but eventually things worked out. Just in time, too; the Samurai mech began to overheat and fell gracelessly from the sky. Probably because of the constant abuse it tolerated.

The large semi creature eventually fell, writhing, into the flames. It took quite a few seconds for the thrashing movements to stop. The Ninja all watched as it lifted and dropped its mucky limb for the final time, the flames finally engulfing it.

“Well,” Lloyd panted, favoring his right leg. “Good work, team.”

“I suppose,” Nya muttered. “We made quite the mess.”

Zane sighed. “Your point stands. However, I believe things would have been much worse, had we neglected to destroy these…ah, these _automobiles.”_

“Where did they come from?” Jay wondered aloud. “Creepy walking cars don’t just spring up, you know? I wonder who—or _what—_ is behind _this_ mess?”

“Add it to the list of investigations,” Cole muttered. They all groaned in tired agreement.

“This is the first time we’ve all been together in awhile,” Lloyd said, trying to cheer the Ninja up. It failed hopelessly.

_“All_ of us?” Nya asked, hostility clear in her voice.

There was an awkward silence.

Jay wrapped his arm around his girlfriend. “We’ll find him, okay?”

_“Will_ we?” She snarled, pushing her boyfriend’s arm away. “In case you all haven’t noticed, Kai’s been gone for _weeks_ now! And we aren’t exactly putting much effort into looking for him.”

“I’m sorry, Nya,” Lloyd said, attempting to diffuse the situation. “But…he’s not exactly our top priority now. We can’t really afford that. And you know Kai, he’s probably fine wherever he—“

_“Not_ top priority?!” _Uh oh._ “You’re all…you’re all thoughtless jerks! Had it been _anyone else—_ literally _anyone—_ had _Kai_ been the one here, he wouldn’t even _consider_ any of us less than top priority! He wouldn’t rest until—“

“Lloyd’s right,” Cole put in. “We can’t spend our time on someone who left us. We have work to do, you know. We—“

“Is _that_ what you think?!” She lashed out, glaring angrily at the Master of Earth. “You think…you think _Kai,_ Kai, of _all_ people, would leave us!? You absolute—“

“Calm down, everyone! Now!” Lloyd wobbled between them. “We can’t do this, not now! Look, we’re _all_ tired, but we’ve still got work to do, and—“

_“Do we?”_ Nya stepped backwards, crossing her arms. “Because, if I recall properly, we’re not _all here,_ and we haven’t been, for awhile now, actually.” Her eyes blazed with fierce anger, not totally unlike her sibling. “Maybe it’s better if we just _aren’t_ together anymore. Not for a long while.” With that, she twirled on her heel and took off down the decimated street.

Jay hesitated only a second or two before taking off after her.

“…well,” Zane said quietly. “That was quite intense,”

“Yeah,” Cole croaked.

Lloyd groaned. Three people. They were down by _three people._ What was happening?! Where had the unity of the Ninja gone?

“Perhaps she is right,” they all turned. P.I.X.A.L. had pulled down her visor, and her flickering green eyes were trained on the remaining Ninja. “We have all become practically independent since Kai’s disappearance. It has worked better, since we do not waste much time convening with each other; we are far more efficient apart than we could ever be together.”

There was a brief second before Zane chimed in. “The numbers do not lie,” he said. “Nya and P.I.X.A.L. are… _correct.”_ The defeat in his voice was evident.

Lloyd groaned, clutching his head. “So…so that’s it?! After everything, _everything_ we’ve been through together, _this_ is what pulls us apart?! EFFICIENCY!?”

“Yes,” said Zane softly.

Then he and P.I.X.A.L. were gone, leaving Cole and Lloyd standing together on the burning street.

Lloyd turned his weary face to the Black Ninja. “Are you in on this, too?” He asked meekly, not really wanting to hear the answer.

Cole shifted his weight awkwardly. “If they say it’s the best for us right now, it probably is.” He walked over to Lloyd, resting his hand on the Green Ninja’s slumped shoulder. “Hey, that doesn’t mean it’s over forever, though. Maybe, once the smoke has cleared, we can fix this.” Then both the hand and Cole were gone.

“Maybe,” Lloyd said aloud, brokenly, to no one in particular. “But probably not.”

The Green Ninja allowed himself to drop to his knees. He was vaguely aware of a pain in his left leg, but he couldn’t really bring himself to care. He sat there, tears dripping down his sooty face, defeated. _My family,_ he thought through those horrible sobs. _My family…they’re gone. They’re all gone. I can’t believe it, they’re all gone._ An overwhelming sense of grief wrapped its clammy arms around him, and Lloyd allowed it to. He sobbed brokenly, his tears dripping onto the asphalt. Police sirens blared vaguely in the distance. _Get up,_ he told himself, to no avail. He remained there, in the charred remains of the car creatures, long after the police came and left. He only brought himself to stand when the cleanup crew came. He limped off, not really caring where he ended up.

The bystanders parted to make way for the last remaining Ninja.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...yeah.  
> From here on out, sh*t goes down. No more funny business, none in the slightest. (Okay, SOME. Gotta have that comic relief.)   
> Did you guys like the chapter? Your insight is alway greatly appreciated!   
> And, gee...over 200 hits! I never thought I would get this far! Thank you all, so much, for everything! :)  
> You, too; Luna. I will never stop thanking you. NEVER.   
> I love you guys so much. Thank you. You all help more than you know. I hope you are all safe and well!
> 
> -Fran  
>  (Tumblr is @lastofbastet for anyone with questions, theories, or comments.)


	6. Temporary Soul Displacement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo! This is what you (probably) came for: Kai Angst
> 
> Trigger warnings: swearing, censored swearing, (spoilers) 
> 
> Enjoy, wonderful people!  
> (Thanks Luna)

**Hyper Century, Current Day**

Kai’s eyebrows lifted. “I didn’t know ‘help’ involved me dying.”

Pink gulped, trying to hide his guilt behind his smile. “Not…not quite.” _Not yet._ He turned away from Kai, looking instead at the Gatekeeper. “We’re going to do something kind of f****d up. It’s called ‘Temporary Soul Displacement.’”

“Sounds terrifying,” Kai said. “Tell me more,”

“Gladly,” Pink nodded as he shot a fleeting glance at the Red Ninja. “Basically, we leave our bodies in a very specific place, during a very specific time, at a very specific temperature.”

“You’re somehow managing to be very vague about being very specific,” Kai said dryly.

“Trust me, it’s terribly complicated. Hopefully the Realm we need to do it still exists. G?”

_“As of a few minutes ago, I could still access it. It is one of the furthest ones, after all.”_

Pink nodded, wiping the last remaining tears from his face. “Good. Okay, we’re going then,” he extended his arm to Kai. “I’ll explain everything once we get there, I swear.” His voice shook.

“Alright then,” Kai took his arm.

“Hang on,” Pink said, though his words were lost in the vortex.

**The Constant-Realm, Current Day**

At first, Kai could’ve sworn he was back in the Never-Realm. Snow blanketed everything touched by the moonlight, and large ice spikes rose before him. Kai shivered, glad he’d stolen the hoodie.

“The Sixteenth Realm,” Pink explained, seeming entirely unfazed by the cold. The Gatekeeper hovered above them. “This is the Constant-Realm. The Four Elements of Creation each have a land here. They originated here,”

“And let me guess,” Kai kicked away some of the snow, revealing the bottomless blueness of a glacier. “We’re in _ice,”_

Pink nodded, setting off to the steep incline. “Come on,” he said. “We haven’t much time.” Kai and the Gatekeeper followed in silence. They remained that way for awhile, with only the vast expanse of snow and ice for company.

“Why couldn’t the Gatekeeper just take us where we needed to go?” He shot up a glance at the portal.

“Their power is no longer infinite,” Pink said. “They were trapped for millennia, used as a tool against their will. They must take time to charge up enough energy to keep us alive while we’re in the Realm of the Departed.”

“Ah,” Kai said, nearly stumbling. “How…how far is it, about, do you think?”

“We’re pretty close,” said Pink, not looking back. “There should be a cave somewhere along the baseline of the Fifth Glacier, Wrath.”

“Who names glaciers?” Kai muttered, struggling to remain balanced while he walked.

“The Firsts,” Pink said. “My people, the Hellbeasts; and the humans.”

“They’re here?” Kai asked, looking around. “Where?”

“Not anymore,” Pink said. “Civil war, demise, destruction; and all that. We—they were all moved, to my Realm. Long ago,” he went silent, and Kai decided not to pry any further.

Pink came to the foot of a tall Glacier. “Hello, Wrath,” he said quietly, resting his gray hand on the ancient monolith. “Long time, no see.” He trailed his hand along the freezing ice. The wind howled gently through the massive ice blocks, the telltale whistle alerting the boy of a nearby cave. Pink cast a glance over his shoulder, watching his double struggle to get to the ice. He bit his lip, watching the boy fall. He walked over, offering a hand. Kai accepted it, managing to stand.

“Welcome to our cause of death,” he said, sounding like a very exhausted show host. He slipped in. “Come on,”

There wasn’t much to observe about the cave. It was cold, dark and blue; that was just about it. Kai stumbled along it embarrassingly, even with support from the wall.

 _“Did no one ever teach this child to stand upright?”_ The Gatekeeper asked, sounding irritated.

Pink did not respond.

“So, with this ‘Temporary Soul Displacement,’ or whatever,” Kai said, battling gravity. “What…what’s _actually_ gonna happen?”

Pink sighed. “We’re going to do some type of focused astral projection. With guidance from the Gatekeeper, we can enter and exit the Realm of the Departed at will.”

Kai snorted. “If it’s that easy, why don’t we just pop in and visit our lost ones?”

“It’s not ‘that easy’, Kai.” Pink said solemnly. “Your Soul can get lost very easily. Then you’ll die, and there will be _no_ escape for you.” His voice got quieter and quieter as he finished the sentence.

“Grim,” Kai said. They continued on in silence.

Eventually, the cave opened up into a large cavern. Pink looked up at the old, familiar hollow, and an uneasy smile stretched across his face. _A home._ He felt the Hellbeast stir within him, recognizing the lands of his kin, but he chose to subdue him. They didn’t exactly have a lot of time for this. Kai stumbled into the cavern seconds later, his jaw dropping in awe.

“Whoa,” he breathed.

“Yeah, pretty cool right?” Pink laid down on the blue floor, gesturing to the spot next to him. “Come on,” he said.

Reluctantly, Kai laid down next to him. He stared into the blue expanse of the ceiling, waiting for further instructions.

“Okay, Kai,” Pink exhaled. “We have to relax now. Close your eyes and clear your mind, or this won’t work.”

“How do I clear my mind?”

“I just imagine a voice saying ‘stop’ in my head, then I stop thinking.” Pink said. “Stay like that, then tell me what happens.”

So Kai did. _Stop,_ he commanded himself. His eyes unfocused, and he stared blankly at the ceiling. He did not recognize the color. He did not think about how cold it was around him. He just stayed there, frozen.

“Hey, I see a color.” He murmured without thinking. And it was true: a blob of pink had appeared before his vision. It emitted some level of light, hovering gently above him. Blocking every other sight out.

“Good,” Pink said. “What color is it?”

“Pink,” he said, keeping his eye on it. Pink scoffed.

“Ironic,” he grumbled.

“What?” Kai asked as a buzzing noise filled his ears.

“Mine is purple,” he said.

They both laughed as the buzzing and colors consumed them.

**Realm of the Departed, Current Day**

Kai was somewhere. Somewhere where he couldn’t feel anything, or hear anything, pr _see_ anything—it was complete and utter pink-flavored nothingness. He would have panicked, had he been able to _feel._ Except, suddenly he could. He felt like laughing. He felt silly. _Hehehe!_ The first thing he heard was his own laughing. A small echo, barely audible. Then: _hehe, hey, Kai, are you there? Haha!_ He thought it was in his head at first, but then it wasn’t. It was another color.

 _Purple,_ Kai realized, giggling. _It’s…haha, you’re_ purple _!_

 _Very funny, hehe._ Giggled the purple back.

Then, it was Pink. Not the color, the person. He looked exactly as he had before death(?) with the sole exception of his eyes being purple. A sunset-orange emptiness surrounded them, but it was a peaceful emptiness.

“Nice to see ya,” Pink said, grinning.

Kai squinted at him. “Is that…is that _lycra?”_ He asked.

Pink looked down at the sheer pink spandex, his eyes suddenly widening in shock. “Whoa…” he breathed. “I…I totally forgot.”

“What? That your soul is as vulgar as your mouth?”

“No, genius,” he pointed below where he hovered. “Look!”

Kai gasped as soon as he did. Below them were millions upon millions of spirals. _Islands,_ he realized. Islands floating in the pleasant, candy-colored void. Roughly half of them were completely shadowed by dark clouds. The other near-half were bathed in a golden glow. Between them rested a thin line, clouded partially by soft, gray clouds.

“It’s…it’s beautiful,” Kai managed.

Pink looked at him, his purple eyes sparkling. “Come on, then,” He offered Kai his gray hand, arm clothed in the pink. Kai took it, awed to see his own arm encased in white. He looked down, seeing flowing white robes, and laughed suddenly.

“Heheheh, look at me! I look like some sort of angel,” he giggled, unnecessarily happy.

“You do,” Pink said quietly, looking down at the spiral-shaped islands twirling lazily below them. “Let’s go—there’s work that must be done.” He wished he’d never said that last part.

“Ooh, do I _finally_ get to help?” Kai asked.

Pink could only nod, guilt weighing his soul down. They began to descend.

The journey downwards was a pleasant one. A feeling of peace enveloped Kai, and for maybe the first time in his short life he allowed himself to get lost in it. He smiled and closed his eyes, allowing Pink to guide him gently to wherever the heaven they were going.

Pink resisted the urge to snatch his wrist away from the tranquil Ninja. He looked away, searching for his own Isle of the Departed. He spotted it near the Gray Line, just barely within the Light Side’s boundaries, twinkling. Despite the guilt that weighed his soul down, a smile made its way across his face. _Garmadon,_ he thought. _I’m going to see Garmadon._ He concentrated his efforts on steering him and his company in that direction, feeling heavier with each meter closer they got. They were eventually over the island, and he allowed them to fall the rest of the way.

“I wasn’t expecting this,” Kai murmured, a smile one his face. He looked like a joyful child. “This is…this is nice.” _What a great place to spend your afterlife._

“It is, isn’t it?” Pink brought himself to smile, then he frowned. His island was completely encapsulated in ice, just as the Gatekeeper described to him. He cast a glance at Kai, who smiled at all the other islands around them. Remorse washed over him in great, heavy waves. Suddenly, the duo plummeted; screaming the entire way down.

“Oof!”

“Ack!”

They landed in a snowdrift together, luckily. Two feet in any direction and they would’ve been impaled by the long spikes of Spirit Ice.

“Alright,” Pink said briskly, brushing the sparkling snow from his hair. Kai lay facedown in the drift. “Kai?” Pink said, suddenly worried.

Kai giggled. “Snow,” his gleeful voice was muffled. “I _like_ the snow!”

Pink smiled, regret tugging at him. _Don’t do this,_ a voice begged. _Please, don’t do this to him—to yourself!_ He turned his face away, looking at the twinkling expanse of Spirit Ice. Through the cold fog, he could make out the silhouettes of many buildings. A village. Surrounding the buildings were humanlike figures, stuck, for a millennia inside of the large blocks of ice. His Soul sang out with pain. _I have no choice,_ he told it. _I’m_ so _very, very sorry._

“Hey,” he patted Kai’s robed shoulders. “We have to—“

Kai jerked up, his face covered in snow, grinning wildly. “Hehe, yeah?”

Pink forced himself to smile. He offered Kai his hand. The contented Ninja accepted it, letting Pink pull him to his feet. “It’s help time,” he said.

 _“About_ time!” Kai said, then he looked behind Pink. His face turned solemn upon seeing the figures. “Oh,”

“Yeah,” Pink said, pulling on his wrist. “Come on,”

Kai followed voicelessly as they made their way between the frozen people. Between the frozen _Souls_. Souls in all shapes, sizes, and sexes.

“I’m going to take a wild guess,” Kai murmured, “that the FSM is responsible for this.”

“You are correct,” Pink said, pulling Kai’s wrist across the frosty landscape. According to the Gatekeeper, Garmadon was atop the island’s mountain. Frozen, like the rest of their people. “After he destroyed Ninjago, he froze our part of the Realm to make sure no one else got in.”

“Cruel man,”

“Indeed.”

Eventually, they made it to a cluster of buildings. The amount of frozen Souls here were numerous. Pink was struggling to avoid looking too close. He would, beyond a _shadow_ of a doubt, recognize some of the people if he did. So he pushed forward, watching his pink-spandex-clad feet walk solemnly across the frozen land, in complete silence.

They still had quite a ways to go. Though the number of Souls thinned significantly the further they got. They walked through a frozen forest, side by side, with unabridged quietude. Had they not been surrounded by the suspended Souls of the dead, this walk would probably have been a serene one.

Eventually, the forest thinned and they were presented with a frozen lake. Pink sighed, gliding out over the ice, twirling gracefully. Kai remained at the tree line, looking out over the ice with a nervous expression on his face, his right eye obscured by his thick hair.

“What’s wrong?” Pink asked, gliding back to where he stood.

Kai laughed anxiously. “Ah, nothing—can we, can we just go around. It’ll be faster, right?” Kai said, turning around and beginning to walk around the border of the lake.

“Whoa, whoa,” Pink slid over the ice, grabbing his arm. “Kai, look—the mountain is right there,” he swallowed, pushing down the terrible feeling remorse that filled him. _This_ must _be done,_ he reminded himself. _The Realms depend on it!_

Kai bit his lip. “But I can’t… I can’t…”

“Can’t _what?”_ Pink asked gently. Quietly. _Guiltily._

“I can’t skate, okay!?” He blurted, turning his back to Pink. “I just…I never learned how. I never really had the time, you know? Between taking care of my sister, and…” Kai stopped himself from going on that road. “I know, I know; it’s stupid! _Haha,_ Kai can’t skate!” He turned back to Pink. “I’m sorry, but I have to go around.”

Pink bit his lip. “Why?” He asked, reaching gently for Kai’s hands. “I can…I can teach you,”

Kai’s eyes widened in shock. “What?” He rasped.

“Yeah,” Pink nodded, gently stepping backwards—pulling Kai with him. The Red Ninja shrieked, wildly moving his feet to try and find balance. “Okay, okay—calm down. Okay,” he grabbed Kai, pulling him close to his body. Kai’s legs wobbled, and he swallowed nervously.

“I’m weak,” he said uneasily, then he laughed. “Sorry,”

“For what?” Pink asked, moving away from Kai. He remained standing, looking thoroughly surprised with himself. Pink began to circle him. “It’s okay to not know things, alright? You can learn; like you’re doing now.”

Kai nodded hesitantly, too scared to move.

Pink smiled. “Okay, so I’m going to teach you how to move now.”

“I’ll fall flat on my face,” Kai warned, then he burst out laughing.

“So be it,” Pink said, extending his arm with a grin.

For the next undetermined period of time—it could’ve been minutes, or hours, or even days—Pink taught Kai how to skate. As predicted, he fell, _many_ times. But he always got back up, and tried again. He tried again, and again, and again.

“Kai,” Pink said, gesturing generously with his arms. “I am happy to say that you’ve passed your first exam in Pink’s Academy of Amazing Skaters,”

Kai bowed, smiling at how easy he managed to balance and _not_ fall. “Thank you, thank you!” He said, grinning widely.

“Keep it up, and you’ll get a diploma!” Pink exclaimed, then he went quiet when he realized that could never happen.

“Hey,” Kai was suddenly next to him. “You okay? You kinda zoned out there.”

“I…yeah,” Pink turned away from Kai, towards the mountain. “Come on, we have work to do now.”

Kai glided over the ice, quite pleased with himself despite Pink’s mood swing. _I wish the others could see me!_ He thought happily. _What would they say if they saw me, skating without even falling?_ He hoped they’d be proud of him. He’d managed to overcome one of his problems! All thanks to…himself. He smiled at Pink’s back. _I’m glad I met you,_ he told him quietly. Then: _thank you._

They made it to the base of the towering mountain.

“Pretty decent replica,” Pink said, sounding genuinely impressed. “Ode to the Unfathomable Summits.”

“Cool,” Kai said, realizing that it kind of looked like his Ninjago’s own Mountains of Impossible Height. “How do we scale this thing?”

“Easy. I scale, you ride.” He transformed into the Hellbeast. Kai only now realized that their eyes had become the same purple since their, um, _Temporary Soul Displacement._

“Woo-hoo!” Kai whooped. The Hellbeast launched them up the mountainside with long, strong bounds. He landed with a jerk, his sharp claws digging into the rough stone, before hurling them upwards again. After a few slips and a lot of effort, they finally made it to the top.

A monastery rested atop the tall peaks. It bore resemblance to the Monastery of Spinjitzu, but it was lager and its coloration was darker. Two Hellbeasts carved in jade resided where the gong would sit, tusks crossed together. One resembled Pink’s Hellbeast, but the other was leaner. Their horns and tusks were shaped differently, almost like harpoons.

“That’s us,” Pink said sadly. “Daisy and me, the endlings of the Hellbeast species. Garmadon had them carved in our honor after she died.”

“I’m sorry,” Kai said uselessly.

Pink shrugged, moving to push open the large, purple door.

The courtyard was completely empty.

Pink’s soul ached with nostalgia as he stepped into the Monastery of Spinjitzu. He hadn’t seen this place—or, rather, the place it was representing—in over a thousand years. He recalled training sessions in a courtyard exactly like this one. He remembered sparring with his friends, with Jay and Cole and Zane, and with his sister, Nya. Bunny usually sat on the sidelines, content to watch. A sad smile stretched across his face. _I really miss you guys,_ he thought with a pang. He hoped the Gatekeeper found them soon.

Kai looked around the courtyard. Dark walls rose above him on all sides. Sticky notes, papers, and drawings were tacked haphazardly to the cold stones. He could not understand the writing, but it awed him all the same. He didn’t notice anything else until he bumped into Pink.

 _“Ack!”_ Hacked the boy.

“Sorry,” Kai said, backing up. His robes swished gently.

“S’fine,” he said, looking around. “Haha, a lot of blood was shed _here,”_ he remarked, walking forwards again. “Come on,” he said. “Garmadon will probably be in his room.”

The Monastery was dark as they stepped inside. Pink closed the door behind them. An old habit. Kai fell back and allowed Pink to take the lead down the decorated halls. Armor, weapons, and drawings strategically adorned the shadowed corridors. Every once and awhile, the monochromatic boy would stop to inspect them, muttering to himself. Kai waited patiently, though anxiety brewed within him.

Something was just… _off_ with Pink. Ever since they’d left Hyper Centuri that first time, he began to act strangely. _More_ strangely than he’d been acting before. He avoided eye contact, and spoke as if some unseen force were cutting off his voice. Kai felt his soul stir cautiously, but there were no voices. His inner skeptic was silent. His inner sympathizer was silent. Suddenly, a gust of cold air washed over him. Kai’s soul shuddered, and he crossed his arms. Something was definitely up.

Pink’s steps grew heavier and heavier as they neared Garmadon’s quarters. _You have to do this, you_ have _to do this! It’s not just about you anymore! It’s about the Realms! You can give up Kai to save all of those people, right?_ He asked himself. That was the right thing to do, right?!

_Right?_

Had Pink’s organs been intact, his heart would be thumping wildly as they came to Garmadon’s door. The door that led to the two-chambered room to where his Master—to where his _father_ stayed. To where he needed Kai.

“Is this it?” Kai asked quietly.

“Sure is,” Pink lifted his arm, sliding the door open.

The hybridized Master of Spinjitzu sat in the center of the room. Frozen, like the others, in his meditation position. His red eyes were closed, his dark body relaxed. He looked peaceful. Pink fought back tears as he approached the man, lifting his hand to cover his mouth. _You would be ashamed of me,_ he thought, fighting down the guilt he felt. _The boy you honed, your_ son, _using someone else’s powers for his own means._

“What do you need me to do?” Kai asked in a hushed voice.

“I…” Pink was at a complete loss for words. In all honesty, he’d never thought they’d make it this far. No, he’d _hoped_ they wouldn’t make it this far. Because now came the hard thing. The thing that required immense and unabridged sacrifice, and it not was not to come from him.

From a different him.

“Pink,” Kai placed his hands on Pink’s shoulders. “Tell me, what’s going on?” Instead of the joyful expression he’d worn earlier, Kai exhibited his warrior’s face. Somber, ready for battle.

“I…” Pink choked out. _I’m really doing this. I’m really going through with it._ Now that it was actually happening, Pink didn’t know if he could. But he did. “I—I need you to use your fire. But not, but not like _usual._ Not for fighting. You have to, you have to _give_ it up. You need to unfreeze this Island, and it’s…it’s probably going to cost you _everything.”_

Kai raised his eyebrows, letting Pink go. “Okay,” he said, sounding remarkably calm. “So, this is gonna cost me my powers.”

“No,” Pink turned away from Kai, unable to look the Fire Ninja in his eyes. “I mean…I mean _everything._ Your powers, your friends, your life, your _afterlife—_ all, _all_ of it. If you do this,” he blanked out suddenly, looking at the ceiling. Guilt filled his Soul, weighing it down as it had earlier. “If you do this, there’s no going back. You have to give up your Fire—you have to allow it to be completely torn from your Soul. And…and once that’s done…” Pink trailed off, trying to find the strength to tell him. “Once your element has been ripped from you, it’s _over._ There’s almost no chance of your Soul surviving that sort of trauma. Then you’ll fade away, completely, forever.”

“Oh,” Kai said. “Bummer.”

Pink laughed dryly. “Ahah, _yeah_ it’s a bummer. I brought you all the way here, willing to sacrifice you, no—your _everything_ for…for _myself._ For _my_ goals. This is, this is just _awful._ I’m awful,” he found the strength to turn to Kai, and he saw a face full of dread. “I am so, very, very sorry, Kai.” He said quietly.

“A lot of good that does us now,” Kai stated plainly, looking at his feet before turning around. He made a sound akin to a sigh. “Okay, so…what do I do?” He asked calmly.

Pink bit his lip, shifting his weight awkwardly. “I don’t know,” he managed.

“You misunderstand,” Kai turned around, facing him with eyes full of rage and grief. “What do you _need_ me to do, for this to work?”

Pink felt like he wanted to disappear. “What?” He rasped, barely able to wrap his mind around the question.

“What do you need me to do?” Kai asked again, louder, more forcefully. “How do I unfreeze this place?”

“You—you want to—“

“No, Pink—I don’t _want_ to,” he snapped. “I don’t _want_ to give everything up. I don’t _want to_ never see my friends again, I—oh gosh,” Kai lifted his hands to his face. _My friends._ Then he collected himself turning to Pink. “No, I don’t want to do this. But this isn’t about what I want anymore, is it?”

Pink stayed silent.

“No, it’s not. This isn’t about me, or my little _feelings_. This is about doing the right thing, no matter the cost.” He smiled brokenly at Pink. “So this is it, then: the cost.” He walked up to Garmadon, placing his hand on the man’s icy head. “Do I just…let it flow or—?”

Pink was struggling to process everything that was happening. His jaw flipped open and closed numerous times. _Like a landlocked fish,_ he thought to himself. _Heheh, I made a funny._

“Snap the _f**k_ out of whatever reverie you’re in, _idiot,”_ Kai hissed, glaring at him. Pink brought himself to look at his double. “Because guess what? After I do this, I’m _gone._ Saving the Realms will be entirely up to _you._ So promise me,” Kai looked away briefly, then back at his original. “Promise me, once I do this, that you’ll do _everything_ _in your damn power_ to save them. You’ll restore the Balance, even if it costs _you_ everything, too. Promise me,”

Pink forced himself to look Kai in his eyes. “I promise,” he managed, his voice soft.

“I don’t believe you.” Kai said, turning away. “Now, I’ll ask one, _final_ time: what do you need me to do?”

Pink’s Soul sang out with grief and regret. He opened his mouth to speak. “I don’t…I don’t know _exactly_ how it’s done,” he rasped. “But, but according to the Gatekeeper, you need to concentrate on expelling it. Just, just let it out and—and apparently it will do the rest for you.”

“Okay,” Kai said, charging a fireball in his hand. It looked different than his normal ones: it swirled with many colors rather than just plain orange and yellow. Pinks and greens, blues and purples; and beyond. He closed his eyes, focusing, as he began to push it out. He didn’t need to do that for long. Soon enough, the blaze flowed from his hands unstoppably. He was no longer in control as the flames filled the room. They travelled down the mountainside, over the lake and the frozen trees. They didn’t burn or scorch _(much_ of) the frozen island. Instead, they embraced it. Melting away the ice from the lands, the plants, the people. Soon, the only revenants of the lengthy winter were hints of steam that soon evaporated into the pleasant afterlife air.

Pink could only watch himself give up everything as smoke filled the room.

The pain Kai felt could only be described as excruciating. He could not scream, he could not move, he could only stand as his powers were torn tortuously from his Soul. He wanted to stop, to reach out for help, but he didn’t. Or maybe he couldn’t. Maybe he could only suffer there, silent and alone. Maybe giving up his element had ripped him open so badly that any pleasant feelings had slipped out and evaporated with the steam. Maybe the only feeling he could know now was pain.

The final ounce of energy left the beaten, weary Soul.

Pink couldn’t see through the smoke, but he knew the deed must be done. He smelled the melted ice and charred wood of the Monastery. He would’ve coughed if he had lungs. Instead, he stumbled blindly around Garmadon’s room, arms outstretched, trying desperately to search for something that did’t appear to be there. _I wonder if this is what it’s like to be blind,_ he wondered. _Cole, do I know your pain now?_

He wanted to scream when something caught his wrist, but he didn’t. He just allowed himself to be pulled through the smoke, blind, quiet, and fearful.

He collapsed into the soft, warm dirt as whoever it was let him go. He remained there, stunned, until he was pulled from his trance by a painfully familiar voice.

“Pink? Is…is that you, my child?”

“Dad!” He screamed, shooting straight up. Blinded by the light, he bumped into Garmadon’s form and fell to the ground again.

He was pulled into an embrace. “Oh, Pink…” Garmadon said, sounding close to tears. Pink squeezed him, burying his face in the man’s white Sensei’s robes.

“I’m sorry,” he choked out, pressing his face into the man. “I’m not…I’m not the warrior you wanted me to be. I, I _failed,_ dad—I failed, I failed, I failed!”

“Hey, hey,” he said soothingly, patting Pink on the head. “It’s okay, my boy. It’s okay.”

“But it’s not,” he rasped, allowing the man to pull him close. To comfort him. “I didn’t—I wasn’t—I’m not—“ and suddenly he thought of Kai. “I’m a _villain,”_ he wailed. “I used…I used him, dad. I used him. I used him, and he let me do it.”

“Who?” Garmadon asked gently, stroking Pink’s black hair with his equally black hand.

“Kai,” he said meekly. “Oh, dad—dad, I used him I—“

“Hold on, hold on,” he said, pushing Pink back so that he could look in his eyes. “Who is Kai?”

Pink looked away, wondering how he could _possibly_ explain this mess. “It’s…it’s complicated,” he croaked, turning his face to the scorched Monastery. “He was in there.”

“Is he still there?” Garmadon asked, standing.

“I…I don’t know,” Pink said. “I don’t think so. It’s…it’s supposed to cost you _everything,”_

Garmadon pulled him up, walking wordlessly to the building. “Let’s see, then.”

Pink clung to his adoptive father, leaning guiltily against his shoulder. “Alright,” he managed, wondering if it were _actually_ possible for Kai to be—

Now that he wasn’t disoriented by the smoke—though it still hung heavily within the building—Pink could rely on his memory to bring him to Garmadon’s quarters. But he relied primarily on Garmadon. They walked wordlessly, merely being in each other’s presences enough comfort for the time being. Pink knew he could face this with Garmadon, whatever they found. Or didn’t find. The room was no longer ablaze.

Garmadon went in, and Pink waited shamefully at the scorched doorframe.

“Is this your friend?” He asked after a little while. Pink tried desperately to see. He could barely make out Master Garmadon’s head and shoulders. And only barely the outline of a body resting across them. When he saw the long hair, he immediately knew. Though there hadn’t exactly been anyone else in the monastery, he’d needed to be absolutely sure.

“Yes,” Pink said with relief. “Yes, yes—that’s him.” _He’s still here!_ He cheered inwardly. Somehow, beyond _all_ odds, Kai’s soul had survived being torn from its element. _He’s still here. Maybe I’ve got a shot at redemption._

Garmadon offered Pink his hand. He accepted, and they retracted their steps back out to the courtyard. Once there, Garmadon gently set down a listless Kai.

His red eyes widened in surprise when he saw his face. “Two Pinks?”

Pink smiled, letting go of his dad’s hand to inspect the former Master of Fire. “It’s…complicated. I’ll explain, I swear.” He didn’t look too good. Pale, even for a (basically) dead guy. His eyes were closed, and his face was twisted in an expression of terrible agony. Pink frowned. I _put you through that,_ he realized. 

He picked up the soul, hugging him into his chest. “Thank you,” he murmured. “Thank you, Kai.”

“Mind if I ask what’s going on here?” Garmadon inquired.

“Ahah, yeah—I mean, no, no I don’t mind.” He picked Kai up, slinging the damaged Soul carefully over his shoulder.

“Why does he look like you? And why is…why is his hair _brown?”_

Somewhere in the depths of the Ethereal Divide, the Gatekeeper awaited Pink’s summons. They were a creature of the void, the Ethereal Divide their place of origin. That being said, they hadn’t been there for awhile. Many of the Great Balance’s energies flowed around them, engulfing them. But it lacked the potent feel of the others. They wondered where the other ones could be, especially now.

 _Perhaps they are trying to preserve the Great Balance themselves,_ they pondered to the Divide.

We _sure as hell are!_ Screamed a familiar voice from somewhere in the void.

 _Pink,_ they mused. _So the Displacement was successful._

 _Ya._ Was the response. _We found Garmadon!_

_Oh, good. Let us hope we can actually resurrect him in one piece._

_Okie-dokie. Let’s try it, then._

_You put quite a lot of faith on a whim, little cub._ They said, traveling across the Divide to Pink’s location. For them, it would be a slow process; but for Pink it would be almost instantaneous.

 _It’s worked for me so far,_ he said nonchalantly.

 _I hope our good fortune continues,_ they said, opening themselves up into the Realm of the Departed. They felt the energy of many Souls moving nearby.

“Hey,” Pink said, feeling close. “What took ya?”

 _“Speak in proper words, old friend.”_ They teased. Suddenly, two more presences neared them.

“Gatekeeper,” rumbled an old, familiar voice.

 _“Garmadon,”_ they responded. _“It has been quite awhile,”_

“It has,” he said. “Regrettably so. Pink told me everything. Is it…is it all true?”

“Whoa, you don’t _trust_ me, dad?”

“Quiet down, boy.”

“No,”

 _“It is all true,”_ they confirmed with desolation. _“The Great Balance is collapsing. It is only a matter of time before the Realms are_ all _terminated.”_

“Then we’d better hurry,” Pink said, and the Gatekeeper moved to surround them.

 _The boy survived?_ They realized as the three presences began to transport. _Impressive. He’s more durable than I anticipated._

This was the _really_ tricky part. Pink and Kai already had living bodies outside of the Realms, but Garmadon had only his Soul form. Though a Soul form differed from a ghost one in many ways, there were also parallels between them. Garmadon couldn’t remain outside of the Realm of the Departed for long without a body, but he could go for quite awhile until fading to death again. Pink would be able to give the man a body after recovering his Golden Power. If he actually _recovered_ his Golden Power in time, that was.

 _I hope our good fortune continues,_ they repeated to themselves grimly.

Pink shrieked, sitting up quickly. He started hyperventilating, looking desperately around. _Wrath!_ He realized, immediately recognizing the smell and look of the ancient glacier. He slumped over, attempting to slow his breathing.

“Ahah, yeah! I cheated death again!” Was the first thing out of his mouth after regaining his second wind.

“So have I, it seems.”

Pink twisted his head, jaw dropping in a goofy smile when he saw Garmadon standing a few feet away, looking a little surprised. Joy washed over him, and he forced his stiff body to stand and sprint over to the hybrid man.

“Dad!” He shrieked gleefully, knocking the man fully to the floor.

“Uf!” He said upon collision with the cold, hard ground. _How does that work?_ He wondered briefly. _My form is_ barely _even physical!_

The Hellbeast howled happily from within him, and Pink immediately allowed him to take over. Garmadon suddenly found himself being covered in big, joyful licks.

A few feet away, Kai lay on the ground. Had anyone seen the pale, limp body, they would assume him dead. But he was alive, and slowly regaining consciousness. His eyes fluttered open, and he stared at the ceiling vacantly. _Something’s missing,_ was the first thing he thought. No, the first thing he _realized._ A deep, gloomy emptiness had settled in the space behind his ribs. It was terrible, suffocating, but Kai could do nothing against it. Hell, he could barely even move. He could only sit there. Breathing. Blinking. Thinking.

Alone. _Again._

What was missing? Kai tried to move. Nothing so much as twitched. What was happening? Was he panicking? Wasn’t he _supposed_ to be panicking? Kai inhaled and exhaled long, soft breaths of frigid air. _Cold,_ he thought. _Like Zane. Or the Never-Realm._ Ah, yes: the Never-Realm…where he’d almost failed everyone. Or maybe he had, and that’s where he was now. He’d failed them, and now he was dying on the ice. Empty. Alone.

A suitable punishment for his incompetence.

Laughter pierced the cold air. _Who is laughing?_ Kai wondered. _Are they laughing at me? At my negligence?_ But he could only wonder. Who? Why? _Are my friends still alive? Are they laughing at me._ Why? Why would they laugh? He could only wonder. He could only wonder what was missing. Why they laughed. Why he felt like this. _It’s cold,_ he reminded himself. _Why is it cold?_ But he could only wonder.

Lying on the ice. Empty. Alone.

Even with other people less than ten feet away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aha, oops.  
> I did not like writing this chapter. (That is a bloody lie.)  
> There will be MUCH more Kai Angst in the upcoming chapters, count on that. 
> 
> Do you like the story so far? Would you like me to continue? 
> 
> Questions? Theories? Leave them at my tumblr @lastofbastet  
> Much love,  
> -Fran


	7. Scars, Fears, and All.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: Descriptions of depression! (Derived from personal experiences.) Swearing. Censored swearing. Mentions of child slavery. 
> 
> This chapter is very, very intense. Enjoy. 
> 
> Thanks to my preview reader, Luna, for being an awesome f**king human being.

**The Constant-Realm, Current Day**

Pink rolled off of his surrogate father, allowing the man to sit up. He resisted the strong urge to tackle Garmadon again, resigning instead to taking a seat on the cold ice. Garmadon slowly reoriented himself, sitting up and looking around.

“Ah,” he said. “This is the Constant-Realm, isn’t it?”

Pink nodded. “Sure is,” he said. “The perfect place for storing bodies…the _live_ ones, of course.”

Garmadon stared past his son’s shoulders. “Are you certain that’s the case?” He asked.

“What?” He turned around, gasping when his eyes fell on Kai. He stood up, rushing to the limp body lying on the ground. He startled upon seeing the vacant look in his eyes. “Hey, Kai,” he said softly, unsure if his double was still alive. He was, and he shifted his eyes to stare blankly up at Pink.

The greyscale boy smiled down at him, leaning over to help him sit up.

“You did it,” he murmured, pulling Kai’s cold body into an embrace. “You did it—you did it! You did it, and you’re alive.”

There was no response.

“He doesn’t look too good,” said Garmadon, now standing upright.

“Thanks, Doc,” Pink said, worry cutting through the sarcasm.

Garmadon made a sound similar to a sigh, walking over to them and squatting down. He brushed the long, stiff bangs out of the boy’s deadpan face, peering into his vacant eyes.

“So,” he murmured, gently stroking the outline of Kai’s face. “You’re the one who saved me, hmm? Kai?”

The former Fire Elemental’s eyes shifted faintly.

“That was very brave of you,” he continued. “You risked everything to rescue people you didn’t even know.”

“Had to,” he said indifferently. “The Realms are dying,”

Garmadon patted his shoulder comfortingly. “Yes, they are. But thanks to you, we’re one step closer to stopping that, right?”

“Right,” he responded, his voice bland and unfeeling.

“Where are we going to next?” Garmadon asked Pink, continuing to stroke the apathetic Ninja reassuringly.

Pink shrugged. “I don’t really know,” he looked around. “But I don’t think it’s healthy for Kai to remain here, not for much longer.”

“Leave me,” Kai said blankly. “I’ll only slow you down.”

Garmadon shook his head. “Sorry, Kai, leaving you here isn’t really an option.”

“It is, and it’s by far the best one.”

“Whoa,” Pink said. “Um, dude— _no.”_

Kai stared absently ahead, lacking the energy to respond.

Despite Kai’s urgent need for medical attention, they were forced to stay in the cave. They Gatekeeper needed rest, and it was daytime outside; meaning the sun reflecting across the snow would blind them. So in they stayed, discussing their next course of action. Pink caught his father up on more of the catastrophes that had happened since the man’s death. Kai sat idly between them, never so much as casting a glance at the two people above him.

Gosh, the emptiness was so _suffocating._ The dull ache pushed against Kai’s ribs threateningly, but that very same emptiness did not allow him to care about it. He could only lay there, languid, as the voices carried on above him. He sighed, pushing himself into Garmadon’s leg. The man let his hand trail across Kai’s scalp, stroking his hair soothingly, and he relished the feeling. He relished the feeling of _something. Anything._

Anything at all.

Eventually, Pink and Garmadon finished talking about… _whatever_ they’d been talking about. Kai didn’t care, not in the slightest. When Garmadon leaned down to pick him up, the apathetic Ninja allowed it. The man’s Soul form gave off a comforting amount of warmth, a great contrast to the icy floor he’d rested on previously. He clasped his arms tightly around the man’s neck, resting his head against the broad, ancient shoulders. _This is nice,_ he said to himself, feeling his inner voice echo within the emptiness, the inner vibrations painful. _I like this._

“How’s he doing?” Pink asked, and Kai unintentionally pushed his face closer into Garmadon. _The day has finally come where I trust_ Garmadon _more than myself,_ Kai realized. _This most_ definitely _is_ _the end of the world…and beyond._

Garmadon brought a protective hand over the back of Kai’s head. “He’s not really doing anything,” said the man.

Kai snorted. Funny. _I like this Garmadon._

“Clearly,” said Pink.

_I don’t like_ you, he told himself. _Clearly,_ snickered a voice.

“Give the boy some time, alright?” Garmadon rebuked, his voice firm. He began to gently rock Kai back and forth. “He’s been through a lot, in case you didn’t know.”

“I didn’t,” Pink uttered. “Is there…is there anything I can do?”

“Kai,” Garmadon’s voice was tender as he spoke to the broken boy. “Is there anything you need?”

Kai didn’t even look up. “No,” he said softly.

“He says ‘no,’ Pink,” Garmadon said, his voice firm once again. “Try again later,”

“Alright, jeez.” Pink snorted, rolling his dark eyes.

Kai smirked into the man’s ebony neck.

The first step of Pink and Garmadon’s plan was to get Kai medical attention.

“Is there some sort of tea we can use?” Pink asked coolly, crunching over the snow. They walked—as they would for quite a long time—awaiting the Gatekeeper’s energy to recharge.

“Probably,” Garmadon said, still carrying a lethargic Kai. “But I wouldn’t know much about that. _Wu_ was the family brewer, do yo recall?”

“Oh, yeah,” Pink said. “The bitch.”

“The bitch indeed.”

“Do you…do you think he saw us?”

“Leaving the Realm, stuck on the Dark Side? I certainly hope so.”

“Hehe, do you think we made him mad?”

“Yes,” Garmadon grinned at the thought of his wicked brother witnessing them leave the Realm of the Departed, spluttering in one of his fits of rage. “We probably made him _really_ mad.”

“Haha, do you—do you think he had _‘the face’_?”

Garmadon burst out laughing at the notion. Kai startled. The man patted his back in a calming manner. “Yes, I think he _definitely_ had ‘the face.’”

As Pink and Garmadon laughed, Kai remained silent. He wanted to laugh with them, but he couldn’t. So he didn’t, instead satisfying himself by listening.

“We could try Hyper Centuri,” Pink suggested, getting them back on track. “Lance seemed to like him enough, so he may be willing to help.”

“The…Lance, the _turtle man?”_ Garmadon asked.

“The very same,” Pink paused. “Just… _don’t_ tell him I call him that, alright?”

“Sure, kid,”

“Hopefully it’s still there,” said a small, lifeless voice.

“What?” Pink asked. Kai pushed himself into Garmadon’s neck again. Garmadon squeezed him more tightly.

“Hyper Centuri,” Kai said softly. “I just hope it’s still _there,”_

“Oh,” Pink said, an impending sense of peril settling on him. “Me, too.”

“I’m sure it is,” Garmadon put in. “And if it’s not, well—we’ll figure it out, alright? Count on that.”

“Jokes on you,” Pink coughed. “I forgot _how_ to count.”

“Your math teacher would _not_ be pleased, young man.”

“My math teacher has been dead for over a thousand years…and he was _never_ pleased.”

“Remind me how you passed school again, boy?”

“With straight A’s, _day-ad,”_ Kai could _hear_ the smirk in Pink’s smooth, cocky voice.

“I seriously doubt that,” Garmadon grunted, shifting Kai in his arms.

“I can carry him for awhile,” Pink offered.

Kai stiffened, gripping Garmadon more tightly.

“I’m fine,” said the man evenly. “Maybe you should check in on the Gatekeeper. We need a ride to Hyper Centuri.”

“Right, yeah.” Pink sounded subdued. “Give me a second.”

Kai lacked the energy to move, but a small flame of gratefulness lit itself somewhere within the emptiness. _Thank you,_ he told Garmadon silently.

_There you go again,_ sneered a voice. _As_ if _you didn’t just_ _learn what happens when you trust people. You’re so stupid, Kai._ The voice filled the empty void, causing the painful sensation in his chest to swell. Kai’s hold on Garmadon loosened slightly. The man said nothing, beginning to sway Kai back and forth again.

“They said Hyper Centuri is still there,” Pink reported. “We don’t know how long this Realm-crumbling is happening, but we should be safe—for _now.”_

“Should’ve just left me in the cave,” Kai mumbled simply. “Now you’re both wasting precious time.”

“Time is poison,” yawned Pink.

“F**k you,” Kai responded dully.

“Do it yourself, coward.” _Haha. Funny. He called you a coward, you coward!_

Kai felt one of Garmadon’s hands leave his body, and he heard a _smack_ two seconds later.

“Ow!” Pink shrieked.

“Serves you right,” Garmadon said, and the hand returned to Kai. He sighed, shaking his head and rocking the boy in his arms. “Filthy-mouthed child.”

_“Your_ child, mind you.”

“Yes, of course,” he leaned in to whisper into Kai’s ear. “He’s adopted,” Kai smiled softly.

“I _heard_ that!” Pink yowled playfully.

“I know,” Garmadon said. “Now, are we going to Hyper Centuri or not?”

Pink chuckled nervously as Garmadon glared at him.

“Aha, _what?”_

“You live in squalor,” the man said, setting a fitfully sleeping Kai on the couch. “I thought I taught you to pick up after yourself.”

“You did,” Pink said, looking at his scraggly nails. “I just ignored you.”

“A recurring theme,” he chided, kicking at the pile of whites. “You clearly need more guidance.”

“I’d like that,” said Pink sincerely. “I’ve practically been by myself for the past thousand years. Some guidance would be greatly appreciated.”

Before Garmadon could respond, the door was busted open. Kai opened his glossy eyes as Lance stormed in.

“You _broke_ my washing machine, Pink,” growled the ancient entity. “I _will_ be seeking damages.”

“Ah, _suck it,_ Lance,” Pink said, sounding bored. Kai would’ve glared at him if he’d had the energy. Rude bastard.

“No, I will _not_ suck it, Lance! You are _out,_ Pink—for _good_ this time.”

“Hahah, that’s what you _always_ say,”

“I _mean_ it this time, you insufferable—“

“Excuse me,” Garmadon interrupted. Lance whipped around, peering into the man’s glowing red eyes. He gestured to the enervated body resting on the couch. Recognition flashed across Lance’s face. “We came here because this boy needs help. But by all means, chew out my son—it’s extremely cathartic,”

“You’re Garmadon, then,” the entity said, bending down to the inert boy’s side. Lance sighed. “Pink talks about you a lot.”

“I bet he does,” Garmadon shot a loving glance at his son. The boy grinned wildly back.

“Speaking of Pink, what the _hell_ did you do to this poor boy?” Lance rested his hand on Kai’s chest. It tightened under the faint pressure, and the empty pain became nearly unbearable.

“Ripped his elemental powers from his Soul,” Pink admitted solemnly. “He was strong enough to survive, though. Can you, can you help him recover?”

The entity’s fingers danced softly across Kai’s chest, sending sparks of agony at each touch. “Recover from _what,_ exactly?”

Pink hesitated. “Well…”

“You don’t _know,_ do you?” He glanced over his shoulder. “Something’s missing,”

Kai felt as if his throat had just jumped into his mouth.

“What?” Pink asked.

Lance scoffed, standing up. “Stupid boy,”

“That’s me,” Pink confirmed, crossing his arms.

“His powers are gone, genius,”

“We been knew,”

_“Did_ you, now?” Lance looked down at Kai, smiling tenderly. It made the former Fire Elemental’s stomach churn slightly. The void in his chest seemed to expand again. “Do you know the full consequences of such an action?”

“Yeah,” Pink paused. “No, wait—“

“No, you don’t. You know why?” He rested his hand on Kai’s chest again. “Because it’s different for each person. Now, I know you could care less about your Golden Power—“

_“Actually—“_

“Quiet, Pink,” Garmadon reprimanded gently. “Allow him to speak,”

“Thank you, Garmadon. As I was saying, you could care less about your Golden Power. You despised it, in fact. The responsibilities, the urges— _all_ of it, as you complained to me many, _many_ times. But you and Kai are very different. To Kai,” it felt as though someone were hitting his chest with a baseball bat as Lance’s fingers lightly tapped his chest, “his powers were _integral_. His fire was crucial to his emotional and mental health as well as his physical strength. But now that—that _critical_ part of him—is missing.” Kai sighed with relief as the entity retracted his hand.

“Is there anything that can be done?” Pink asked in a subdued tone. “Can we help him?”

“We can’t _do_ all that much,” Lance said, suddenly standing at the door. “Unless you can return that vital part of him, then he will remain like this.”

“You’re certain?” Garmadon asked. Kai was slightly surprised to hear worry in the old Sensei’s voice. Worry for a useless child he’d only just met.

“I’m completely certain,” Lance confirmed, opening the door. “Now, _out—_ all of you.”

**Unconfirmed _Gray Mafia_ Territory, Current Day**

Kai had no idea where they were anymore. They were walking through a forest, but that was about all he could make out. But, _why?_ Not that he really cared. The emptiness didn’t allow him to. He just leaned against Garmadon’s body as the man carried him. Carried him in absolute silence. Pink hadn’t spoken since they’d been thrown out of Hyper Centuri. Garmadon only ever spoke to ask Kai how he was doing. Kai only ever shrugged.

They walked on in complete silence, until they didn’t.

“We should probably stop pretty soon,” Pink suggested, his tone nearly as emotionless as Kai felt. “I’m sure you’re all getting pretty tired.”

“I don’t _get_ tired, Pink,” Garmadon said, shifting Kai in his arms for the umpteenth time that day. “One of the benefits of being undead, I suppose.”

“Yeah, yeah—whatever, wise guy.” Pink said, but his heart wasn’t in the jab. _“He’s_ probably tired, though,” he said in a much quieter voice.

_He?_ Kai thought. _Is_ that _all I am you you, after everything I did? Just a ‘he’?!_

“Kai,” he felt Garmadon’s tender gaze land on him, and he looked up. “Would you like to lie down and rest for awhile?”

“And slow you down even more?” Kai asked, feeling a small pang. “No, I’m already wasting enough of your valuable time.” He pushed his head back into the safety of Garmadon’s dark shoulders.

Pink scoffed. “You’re not _wasting our time,_ Kai,” he said, trying to sound nonchalant. His voice cracked when he said “ _time.”_

“Really?” Kai looked up again, training his eyes on Pink. “We just— _I_ just wasted your time in Hyper Centuri. Precious time that could’ve been better spent on fixing this—this _cosmic apocalypse_ we’re in right now.” Intense pain burst in his chest, pushing desperately for some form of release. But it did not release.

“That was my call to make, Kai,” Pink said sternly. “And I don’t regret it, no matter what you think. About yourself,” he looked down. _“Or_ me,”

“I hate you,” Kai almost felt bad when the words left him. Almost. _Maybe._

“Join the club,” Pink said simply. “We have membership cards, and the little paper napkins have our insignia.”

“Boys,” Garmadon rebuked, setting Kai down on the floor. Kai cowered against the man’s legs. “This is getting out of hand.”

“Really? I didn’t notice!” Pink exclaimed, then he chuckled mirthlessly. “The Great Balance is _dying,_ and it’s taking all 32 of the f***king Realms with it! I’d say this _‘got out of hand’_ a long time ago!”

Garmadon allowed him to rave on, placing a steady hand of comfort atop Kai’s head. Kai briefly wondered how the Sensei could tolerate someone so obnoxious and miserable. _He’s probably had a_ lot _of practice,_ he mused to himself.

“…and it’s, and it’s, it’s stressing me out, okay? I can’t _do_ this—I can’t do this! I can’t help, not without my friends, not without my powers,” Pink’s voice began to shake. “I can’t help anybody.” He mourned, sliding woefully to his knees. “I can’t help anybody, I can only hurt them. Like I did to Kai,” And he began to cry.

Garmadon sighed, settling Kai on the ground before walking over to his weeping son. Kai watched as the man sat down next to him, extending an arm of comfort around the trembling form. Deep within the terrible emptiness blossomed a sense of longing. Longing for comfort, for love, for acknowledgement. Longing that made his heart leap painfully into his throat. He looked on, isolated, as Garmadon comforted _him_ only a few feet away.

“I’m supposed to help people,” Pink whimpered. “I’m the _Chosen One,_ for f**ks sake! But I can’t, I…”

“You can,” Garmadon said, rubbing him soothingly. “And you _will._ I believe in you—I believe in _both_ of you.” He cast a warm glance back at Kai. Amidst the terrible void of emptiness and longing, a small flame of warmth lit itself. “If there are _any_ two heroes who can save the Realms, it’ll be the Chosen one, my son—“ he pulled Pink up, and they walked over to where Kai sat. “—and Kai, the Elemental Master who didn’t hesitate to give up _his_ everything to save everything.” He leaned over, pulling Kai to stand. He leaned against the man’s Soul, which had become very slightly translucent. “I’m proud of you boys, you know. And I know you’ll both try your damnedest the fix this problem. This problem that shouldn’t even have been yours to fix in the first place.”

Pink snorted, sniffling. “That’s our job: Fixing Problems That Never Should’ve Been Ours in the First Place.”

Kai smiled a bit, the warmth in his chest increasing slightly.

Garmadon chuckled, squeezing both of the boys in one-armed hugs. “And he gave that job to a bunch of _teenagers,_ go figure.”

“No _wonder_ I’m so awful at it,” Pink snickered. _“Hormones!”_

“Still more capable at it than any _adults,”_ Kai put in tentatively.

They both laughed.

“That’s very true,” Garmadon said with a grin. “No _wonder_ he hates you so much!”

Pink guffawed. “Hehe, he’s a—haha! He’s an _adult!”_

“Says the _thousand-year-old,”_ Kai teased, the barest hints of feeling fringing his voice.

“Oh, you _had_ to go there!”

Kai smiled again, his eyes twinkling slightly. “I did, yeah,”

“Quiet, boys!” Garmadon scolded playfully. “Or I’ll send you _both_ to your rooms!”

Kai didn’t even notice himself hug Garmadon more tightly. The sense of longing began to slowly, _slowly_ ebb away; allowing the warmth to take its place.

The void did not disappear, but the pain was a little less noticeable.

Night had finally fallen, so they all decided it was bast to set up camp. Kai watched guiltily as Pink set up the fire. He wanted to help, but he knew he was completely useless without his element. So he sat, watching, as Pink struck up a flame by rubbing sticks against two logs. Pink exclaimed his victory with a triumphant shout.

After setting up the fire, Pink and Garmadon talked for a little while. Kai stared into the fire, his eyes yearning to feel that same warmth within himself again. _I can’t keep my powers for more than two seconds!_ He thought bitterly. _Maybe I don’t deserve to have them._

_Definitely._

The two eventually finished their conversation, and Pink announced that he would be turning in. Or rather, the _Hellbeast_ would. He transformed, and the beast circled the forest floor a few times before collapsing. His gentle snores paired with the crackling of the fire soothingly.

Kai and Garmadon sat in silence while the Hellbeast slept. The ancient sensei lay reclined in the dirt, hands folded behind his head, watching the skies. Kai fiddled the drawstrings of his sweatshirt, then he fiddled with his hair. (It wasn’t exactly his fault, he wasn’t used to living with his hair down for more than a few minutes at a time.) He even tried to get some sleep, but every time he closed his eyes he could only see the color pink. So he stayed awake, watching Garmadon watching the sky.

“You’re different,” Kai said, not really meaning to say it aloud.

“Oh?” The man responded, his eyes unmoving. “Different how?”

Kai swallowed, not really sure if he wanted a conversation. He decided to go ahead with it.

“I don’t know, exactly,” he admitted. “You’re just…you’re not very much like Pink—“

“Who is?” He chuckled. “Sorry, continue.”

“—or like _my_ Garmadon. But you’re also kind of similar to him. I dunno, it’s just kinda weird I guess.”

“Tell me about your Garmadon,” he prompted, turning his attention to Kai. “Is he your father, too?”

“…no, not really,” Kai laughed softly at the thought. “He…he has a son already, though.”

“Really?” He lifted his eyebrow.

Kai nodded. “Yeah, his name’s Lloyd. Such a sweet, amazing kid. And he’s my best friend,” he added with a dash of pride. “And he’s also the Chosen One.”

Garmadon snorted, a bemused smile on his face. “Odd. I can’t really imagine a world where _you_ aren’t my son.” He paused, chuckling nervously. “Oops, I meant Pink.”

“Hehe, yeah,”

“Do…do _you_ have parents?”

“What?”

“Parents? Do you have them?”

Kai bit his lip nervously. “Yeah, had to come from somewhere.” He said quickly, his eyes dashing to where the Hellbeast slept. “Does…does _he?_ Other than you, I mean.”

“Oh, yes, of course he did.” Garmadon shifted slightly. “His father was a chaste monk at _my_ monastery, actually,”

“How does that work?” Kai asked, amusement lacing his voice ever so slightly.

“He broke his vows, that’s how.” Garmadon sighed. “Exactly twice. The first time resulted in Pink. The second in his leaving the Monastery to start a new life with his wife and daughter.”

“Yikes,”

“Yikes indeed. The poor child was raised in a circus, away from his family, practically a slave.”

Kai shot a glance at the sleeping Hellbeast again. “Gosh, that’s awful,” he said, feeling a bit nauseous. _A slave?_ Pink said it was awful, but _that_ awful?

Garmadon nodded. “What about you?”

“Me?”

“Don’t think I didn’t notice you shifting the subject away from yourself,” Garmadon said, but his tone was sympathetic; not condescending. “How were _you_ raised?”

Kai shrugged.

“That’s not an answer, Kai. We don’t have to talk about it, if it makes you that upset.”

“It doesn’t make me upset,” he said sulkily.

“Really?”

“Yes, I—“ Kai took a deep breath. “Okay, maybe just a little.”

“That’s perfectly alright, you know. To be upset with your parents,”

Kai scoffed.

“No, really.” Garmadon gestured to Pink. “When I finally formed the Elemental Masters again, I sent them to look for that little guy. Nya found out who he was pretty quickly, and she wasn’t pleased with me. She wasn’t pleased with their parents, either. She expressed that by completely ignoring Pink during his first few weeks at the Monastery,”

“…wow,” Kai said softly. He couldn’t imagine his sister doing that to him. It would break his heart.

“Yeah, but it worked out. I made her talk to him, and they’ve been inseparable ever since.” Garmadon smiled at Kai, and he smiled back. “Only later did I find out they’d bonded over a mutual disdain for their parents. It was quite beautiful, in a way.”

“I don’t hate my parents,” Kai said. “And neither does Nya,”

“That wasn’t my point, Kai.” He said gently. “My point was: it’s okay to dislike your parents, or to dislike things _about_ your parents.”

“It wasn’t their fault, though,” Kai said, feeling a lump form in his throat. “They didn’t, they didn’t have a choice. They _had_ to leave us,”

Garmadon got up, walking to Kai, sitting down directly next to him. “No?” He murmured, pulling Kai into a hug. “That doesn’t really matter,”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Kai said, turning his face away, his chest refilling with the terrible sense of longing again. “I shouldn’t be mad at them, but I—“

“You misunderstand,” Garmadon interrupted gently. “Kai, it _doesn’t_ _matter_ if it was their choice or not, okay? It _still_ happened, and it _still_ hurt you. And admitting that doesn’t mean you hate them, not at all.”

“Then what _does_ it mean?” Kai snapped. The longing that filled the void was pushed to the side in favor of anger. Some at his parents, but mostly at himself. “They were _taken_ from me, they didn’t _abandon_ me! But that’s what I told myself for years and years, I…” his vision blurred, and he struggled not to cry. “I was lying to myself, and it ended up hurting me. I was so, so stupid, I—“

“Stop that,” Garmadon rebuked firmly. “No name calling. You’re _not_ stupid, you’re in pain.”

“You’re wrong,” it came out as a wail. “I…I _am_ stupid. I was stupid when my parents left, I was stupid when Master Wu found me, I was stupid when—“

“You are _not_ stupid, Kai,” Garmadon rebuked again, his voice even more firm. “You were doing what it took to survive, and that isn’t stupidity—that’s being a human.”

Kai choked on his sobs as Garmadon pulled him deeper into the hug. The man stroked his hair as he continued. “You were just a babe, weren’t you? So little— _too_ little, but you had to grow up. You had to be an adult, you had to survive.” Kai sobbed harder. “And you had to take care of your sister, too. What a brave, _brave_ boy you are. And look at you now? You made it, my child. Not unscarred, but that’s quite alright. You’re alive, and you’re strong, and I’m proud of you. I’m proud of you, Kai. I’m so, _so_ proud of you.”

Kai cried harder. _You know, you know!_ Was all he could think. _You understand!_ Garmadon had known him for less than a week, yet he’d already uncovered things Kai kept secret from _all_ of his longterm friends. These were his guiltiest thoughts, the worst of him! Yet he was not being judged by them. Instead he was being held, comforted, _validated._ Kai was so confused. Why, when being faced with his _messy multitude_ of problems, had Garmadon decided they were worth reassurance and affirmation? He sniffled, reaching up to wipe his nose. And the man was _proud_ of him nonetheless.

Fathering Pink had probably gotten to his brain, then.

“Look at you,” Garmadon continued. “He never gave you a chance, did he? It was just one problem after the next with you, hmm? Well, just look at you. You’ve shown him, haven’t you?”

Kai was at a complete and utter lack of words; _not_ at a complete and utter lack of emotions. He had plenty of those. Too many, maybe—nah. Too many was better than feeling absolutely nothing at all.

Garmadon wiped the tears from his face, finally going quiet.

“Did you—did you mean that?” Kai asked shakily, risking eye contact with the man. Garmadon’s warm red eyes shined proudly back, and that was all the confirmation Kai needed. He squeezed the man. “Thank you,” he murmured softly.

“Of course,” Garmadon stroked his hair again. “You’re an astounding, _breathtaking_ person, Kai—scars, fears, and _all.”_

Kai smiled with his mouth, eyes and heart. The warmth that had started earlier had now begun to permeate his entire being. He took a good look at his surroundings. The sun had begun to rise, ending what had felt like the longest night of Kai’s life. Like Garmadon’s words, the pale pinks and oranges began to gently overtake the night’s sky. Chasing away the darkness with its soft, tender light.

Kai new that the night would eventually be back. He knew that it would consume his world once again. But before that night came a bright, _beautiful_ day. And after that night? More beautiful sunrises, more beautiful days. So the nighttime might last awhile, so _what?_ There would always be another day. And there would always be more awaiting him _in_ that day. And he could enjoy the sun’s light and warmth for at least awhile. Scars, fears, and _all._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi.
> 
> This chapter included a bit of projecting on my part. Especially the emptiness. Have any of you ever felt so hollow inside that it actually f***king hurts you?
> 
> Well, if you have: I love you. And if you have not: I love you. I love all of you, no matter where you all are in your lives. You are all astounding, breathtaking people--scars, fears, and all!
> 
> Good Guy Garmadon is medicine for my soul. I used him as a way to tell Kai some of the things I would tell him if we were ever to have a conversation. (:  
> (Is that weird?)
> 
> Hi Luna, you are amazing. I am really looking forwards to reading your fics! Stay awesome!
> 
> Much love,  
> -Fran


	8. As IF We Needed More Problems

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We interrupt our regularly scheduled angst in order to bring you: SUBPLOT  
> (Your angst shall return shortly.)
> 
> Trigger Warning: Death. (no main characters!) Swearing. Censored Swearing. Probably inaccurate Australian slang. 
> 
> Alternate Jay has an Australian accent. Why? For the same reason Pythor has a British one. Because FUN. 
> 
> (Thanks Luna x)

**The Ethereal Divide, Time is of No True Significance Here**

The Realms were collapsing at an astounding rate. Seven were already completely gone, while eight and nine had begun to crumble gradually away. The Gatekeeper worried that Pink’s friends were already gone forever; their numerous attempts to find the team in the Realms all ending in failure. So they drifted, worried, within the unusual quietness. Without the other void beings, the Ethereal Divide was a desolate, lonely place. Besides a few shocks of misplaced energy once and awhile, oblivion was truly a dismal setting.

Wait… _Energy?_ They thought. _Energy—why would there be energy without the Ethereal Beings?_

There wouldn’t be any, that was the answer. There _couldn’t_ be. Not unless…

The Gatekeeper decided to follow the next spurt of unnatural, non-void energy. When it came, they latched onto it. The energy was a delicate strand, like a spider’s web; but deceptive strength came with such delicacy. They flowed gently over the vast expanse of nothingness, the slim string of energy clutched in their nonphysical hold.

They slowed upon sensing a presence dangling at the end of the energy. Floating, alone, within the Ethereal Divide.

The presence was almost familiar. Its energy felt similar to Pink’s, except not _nearly_ as potent. Close to the amount Kai emitted before the loss of his powers. They swirled around it in curious excitement, nearly certain that this was one of Pink’s friends. _Who else could it be?_ They wondered excitedly to themself. _This_ must _be one of Pink’s friends!_

So the Offspring had hidden them _here._ Away from time, away from the Realms. His purpose in doing this remained unknown, but the Gatekeeper didn’t dwell on that thought for long. They could return Pink’s friends to him, and perhaps _finally_ beat the tyrant known to many as the First Spinjitzu Master. They reached out over the void, trying to contact their old friend.

 _Hey, little cub,_ they said. _I think I may have found your friends!_

There was no response. So they tried again:

_Old friend, I think I found your teammates. Where are you? I shall bring them to you._

Still nothing.

 _The_ sole time _I need to hear your annoying voice,_ they said exasperatedly into the silence. _Fine, then. Stay silent. I am escorting them safely away from the crumbling, then I am coming to find you, little cub._

**The Same Place, at the Same Time; but Moments Earlier**

Nya tried to use her fire for the millionth time. To propel herself, maybe—or activate her elemental wings. But her powers still refused to work, leaving the Fire Master frustrated and fearful. _Where even_ am _I?_ She wondered again into the bright, dark, loud, quiet, full, empty space. _What happened?_ She’d been on tour just earlier that day, greeting all of her lovely fans, then she’d instantly been transported here. And here she’d been, for… _how_ long? She couldn’t tell. The vastness made it feel like forever, but her fresh memories suggested otherwise.

Nya wondered if her friends and brother suffered the same fate. Were they stuck in a place like this? Maybe in this same place, only further away? She wouldn’t know if they were. She could not shout out within this… _void._ She could not call for aid. _Where are they?_ She wondered to herself. _Are they okay?_ But she could only wonder.

A buzzing noise began to fill her head. She grunted, trying to shift her hands to cover her ears. It didn’t help. The bussing intensified, and her body was suddenly enveloped in an itchy feeling. She writhed around, weightless and helpless, as the sensations consumed her. _Stop it!_ She begged. Someone, _anyone_ who might be listening. _Please, make it stop!_

And it did.

There was a loud HONK! and what sounded like tires screeching. Nya found herself overwhelmed in the dissimilarly familiar sights, sounds, and smells of Ninjago City. She groaned, rubbing her eyes, trying to right herself.

“WATCH OUT!” Screeched a woman, and Nya smelt burnt rubber.

“What?” She muttered, trying not to pass out as a multitude of colors swirled before her.

“AY! NYEEA!” Shrieked a familiar, heavily accented voice.

“J-Jay?” She turned to the direction of the voice, her eyes widening in shock when she wasinstead presented with a large semi barreling towards her.

Someone grabbed her, pulling her safely out of the street and onto the sidewalk.

“Who—“

“Nya!” Nya slumped in relief at Cole’s familiar voice.

“Cole,” she breathed, detangling herself from the Earth Elemental. She smiled at him, even though he couldn’t see it.

He grinned as well, placing his large hand on her arm. “I’m glad you’re okay,” he said.

“Yeah,” she murmured, hugging her friend. “Thanks,”

“What t’bout _us?”_ Jay shrieked, leaping out of the absolute _mess_ of traffic with a bundle of wires and metals slung across his lean shoulders.

 _“Us?”_ Nya squinted, then her eyes widened when she realized what the bundle was: _Zane!_ “Oh, oh! Oh my gosh!”

“Yah—OI!” He shrieked, a hub cap rolling past his left foot. The Original Four gazed at the wrangled wrecks of cars and trucks sprawled around them.

“Oopsies,” Nya said in her most innocent voice.

“What’s going on?” Cole asked. “I mean, besides the complete and utter chaos, of course.”

“FREEZE AND PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR!” Shouted the crowd of gathered police, aiming their weapons at the weary warriors.

Nya groaned, placing her hands up in surrender. “We’re getting arrested, apparently.”

“Oh, _again?”_

“Yeah, _again,”_

“This is prolly Pink’s fault,”

“I’ll bet you _anything_ you’re right,” she responded, her eyes shimmering in confusion. “Wait…where _is_ Pink? _”_

The cops tased them all senseless.

**The Edge of Ninjago City, Later that Day**

The Green Ninja leaned over the railing of the _Bounty,_ watching the outermost of Ninjago City bustling beneath him. Lloyd sighed. He’d been completely alone for a month now. Any attempts to contact his dispersed friends had all failed. They could all be dead, as far as he knew, and he could do nothing about it. _I hope they’re alive,_ he thought, looking across the skyline where dust had begun to fall. _I hope you’re all okay. Please, stay safe._ He begged them silently.

Why did it have to end that way? After fighting countless fights and spending countless hours together, it was somehow now _all_ over. Lloyd didn’t want it to be over. He wanted to go to bed tonight with the reassurance that he would wake up to his family’s faces. He wanted to laugh with Jay, spar with Cole, chat with Nya, strategize with Zane and P.I.X.A.L., and he just really, _really_ wanted to hug—

The threat alarm started blaring.

“Yeah, _yeah,”_ he groaned, beginning to limp towards the main control room. “I’m _coming,_ so stop whining.” He opened the main computer to check the alert log, his green eyes widening at what he saw

 _“Gray_ Ninja?” He said aloud to himself. “What?!” He scrolled down, hoping for more information. _Kryptarium Prison. Plz Hurry. Thx. xoxo Warden Noble._ “Then I’d better hurry,” the Green Ninja said. Alone. To himself.

For, like, the billionth time that month.

Lloyd programmed the coordinates for Kryptarium into the GPS, taking his place at the controls in case autopilot—or _any_ system, really—failed. Without Jay and Nya to help maintain them, they almost surely would. Luckily enough, everything operated with fair smoothness. _That’s a first,_ he thought grimly, lowering himself carefully over the railing.

Warden Noble awaited his arrival anxiously.

“Oh, good, you’re here!” He exclaimed. “And you’re…well, you look like you.”

Lloyd nodded quizzically. “Of course,”

“Come with me,” said the man, his eyes nervous.

“Lead the way,” Lloyd tried to disguise his limp as he walked.

“They just… _appeared_ in the middle of traffic,” he explained. “According to the eyewitness accounts gathered by the police, there was a flash of light and they were here.” Instead of being taken to the main cellblock, Lloyd was ushered passed them and underground. “We decided to take them to the prison interrogation rooms rather than the ones at the police station,” he explained.

“Ah,” Lloyd nodded. Probably best to have them away from the people and press, especially considering—

“Do you…do you think it’s the Overlord?” He asked suddenly, his voice quiet.

“What? No,” Lloyd said in what he hoped to be a reassuring voice. “Probably just some overeager cosplayers or something.”

“Yes, of course,” the Warden’s voice shook. “But they…they _look_ exactly like some of you guys, so we thought…”

“Well, _don’t_ think,” Lloyd said, irritated at the constant fear-mongering, courtesy of Gale Gossip. “This _will_ be handled, okay? With great skill and professionalism, I assure you.”

“Right,” said the Warden, sounding unconvinced. He led Lloyd to a thick metal door labeled: INTERROGATION, IMMINENT THREATS. “The… _Nya_ is in here. Good luck, we’ll be watching!” He said, turning tail and taking off down the hall.

“Didn’t know he could be that fast,” Lloyd muttered, straightening his gi and moving to open the door.

Nya had recovered her senses only moments ago, but she was already looking for means to escape. She was sat at a table in the center of the room, the space illuminated by a single bulb. Her lip curled, and she fiddled uselessly with the vengestone cuffs. _Great,_ she thought. _Just awesome._

“What’s going on?” She shouted angrily. “Is this some sort of joke? Pink, are you behind this? I swear, once I get my hands around your pathetic f**king neck—“ she stopped her ranting when she heard the doorknob begin to turn. She gripped her bonds, glaring defiantly at the door, trying to prepare herself for whoever walked through the door.

She was completely taken aback at the stranger who _did._

Despite Warden Noble’s warning, Lloyd was startled when he saw the greyscale Nya. Her hair was much longer, and her bangs were _blonde_ for some reason? He tried to keep his face straight as he walked (limped) over to where she sat. He sat down across from her, his green eyes searching her irate face. They sat in silence for the longest time. Lloyd stared, she stared back.

“Are you gonna say something?” She asked, her voice much softer than Lloyd had been expecting. She sounded so… _different_ —so different than Nya did—and it was kind of disconcerting. “Or will I have to do all the talking?”

“I don’t think so,” he said, hoping he sounded more confident than he felt. “I’ve come here to ask you a few questions.

“By all means; fire away,” she said.

He sighed, looking at the lightbulb. “So, what’s going on?” He asked.

“My friends and I were arrested,” she said. Her eyes raked over him, narrowing after a few seconds. “Cool costume. Where’d you get it? House of Green?”

Lloyd forced a chuckle. _Is she toying with me? Is this even Nya? “I’ll_ be the one asking the questions from here on out, okay?” He said. She blinked. “We’ll start of simple: what’s your name?”

Nya’s heart thudded in her chest. _This isn’t a joke, then,_ she realized. _We’re really in danger here._ “Why do you need to know?” She asked evenly.

“I need to know what I’m up against,” he said in an equally even tone. “So, what is it?”

She sighed, looking up at the ceiling. _Improv class, don’t fail me now._ “Up against? That implies I’m a threat,” she batted her eyelashes innocently. “Gee, little old me?”

“This isn’t a game,” Lloyd said sternly. “I need to know your name.”

“No, you don’t,” she yawned, relying on the genes she shared with her brother for banter. Genes that had probably passed her over. “You just _want_ to know, right?”

“Fine, don’t tell me,” he said, sounding irritated. She smirked a little. _Thanks, Pink._ “Next question: who sent you?”

“Nobody sent us,” she said truthfully. “We just…arrived, and now we’re in prison.”

“Tough luck,” Lloyd growled, his frustration beginning to build. “Where were you before you… _’appeared’_?”

She looked ponderous for a second. “Well, we were home,” her eyes wandered lazily around the room. “Then we…came here, and I don’t really know why. Do _you_ know why?”

“What?”

“Do _you_ know why we’re here, Greenie?” Nya concealed her fear behind the remark, maintaining even eye contact with him. She felt as if she’s been struck with a meteor when the revelation befell her. The green regalia, the hair length, and those vivid lime eyes were all very, _very_ familiar. Combined together, they all served to remind her of a very unpleasant someone. _Could they be related?_ She wondered for a second. _His_ child, _perhaps?_ Their _child?!_ That might explain the different hair color.

But it didn’t explain the bright skin pigment.

“Of course I don’t,” he said. “Why do you think I’m questioning you? Just for fun?”

“Maybe,” she said, her voice shaking a little.

Lloyd caught that. “Well, guess again,” he leaned over the table, staring at her in the eyes. “This is completely serious.”

Nya suddenly had the urge to burst out laughing.

“Okay, then,” she said, managing to refrain from it. “What’s your next ‘completely serious’ question, Green Guy?”

“Your friends,” he gestured to the walls of the room. “Are there any more of you out there?”

Nya bit her lip, thinking of her brother and Bunny. “I mean, _probably,”_ she batted her eyelashes again. “Who do you have?”

“Jay, Cole, and Zane it appears,” he said, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. Nya was completely stunned, her eyes widening. _He knows our names?!_ “Oh, hit a nerve, have I?”

“I…yeah,” she admitted. “But…but if you knew our names already, why did you ask for mine?”

“So your name is Nya,”

“Mhm,” she nodded. _Play along, play along—you can do this._ “Mind if I ask for yours?”

“I do,”

“Shame. Looks like I’m gonna have to make one up for you,”

“Looks like it,”

“Let me come up with a good one,” she looked at the wall.

“Unfortunately, we don’t have the time for that,” he said, seeming to have gained a higher level of confidence.

“Right, the ‘completely serious’ questions,”

“Do you have elemental powers?”

“Elemental _whats?”_ Her heart sped up again. _Please,_ please _no!_

“Elemental powers,” he said, generating a sparkling ball of green energy in his palm. _Oh, shit!_ She thought. _He’s an Energy Elemental, too?!_ “Like these,”

“Aha,” she fiddled with her bonds. “No, I—I don’t; but that’s cool. What are your…elemental powers?”

“I’m the Green Ninja,” he said, leaning over the table again. “The Master of Energy,”—well, f**k—“and that means destiny chose _me_ to protect this land. From _anyone_ that may harm it.” He glared at her, his green eyes fizzling.

“Gee,” she said, her heart beating a mile a minute. “Little old me?”

“Yes,” he retorted, his blazing eyes narrowing. “Like _little,_ _old,_ _you.”_ He stood up, walking to the door. “We’ll be keeping a close eye on all of you. So I don’t want to see funny business from _any_ of you—or I promise, you will _all_ regret it.” He opened the door and, with one final glare in her direction, was gone.

“ _Mee, ‘you will_ all _regret it,’ me-me-me-me-me-me!_ ” she mocked after him. “He’s got the very same melodramatic flair, _that’s_ for sure.”

**Kryptarium Prison Mess Hall, Next Day**

The second they were tossed into the mess hall, they were met with glares. Hostile, confused, _calculating_ glares. Nya lifted her chin, pretending not to notice. But she did, and every sound the heavy shackles made as they _clinked_ together was an injury to her pride. She spotted an empty table, making her way to it, friends in tow. They sat down wordlessly, ignoring the looks the other prisoners served them.

“This place is a bloody mess,” Jay said, yanking Cole down into a seat.

“193n4012ja03imd,” Zane babbled in agreement, shifting his mangled limbs.

“We really, _really_ need to get out of here,” she whispered, casting an uneasy glance at one of the tables beside them. “Any ideas?”

Jay picked at his food. “Structural integrity’s pretty good here,” he said. Nya thanked any deities that one of her smart friends was still in commission. “We could try the bloody _sewer,_ I suppose.”

“Ew,”

“Yeah, _ew.”_

“931n19odi2m9n,”

Jay shrugged. “Just a suggestion. Gimme a few hours ta get the feel of the place, then I’ll see what else I can come up with.”

A spoon dropped, and Jay turned to look. Nya grabbed her friend’s shoulder, turning him back and mouthing _no._ He nodded silently, beginning to pick at his food again. Nya did the same. She had no idea _why_ they were being sized up by the entire prison population, but honestly—who was she to judge? She’d just gotten to this strange place, this staring thing could be the norm here; for as far as she knew.

She decided to continue on ignoring them, focusing instead on her theory from earlier.

“Hey,” she said quietly. “Where any of you guys interrogated by that green dude?”

“Oh, yeah,” Jay said, smirking. “Stuck-up bloke, right? Proud to say, I drove him bloody _nuts,”_

She grinned back. “Good,” then she frowned again. “Did he…did he show you guys, too?”

“Show us what?” Her friends asked in unison. Zane: “q93n10934an1d?”

“His powers, he—“ she leaned in close over the table, and so did they, “he has _energy,_ ”

 _“What?”_ Cole spluttered, blanching.

“Like…like _Morro?_ Like _that_ energy?” Jay asked, his voice hushed and his eyes wide.

She nodded. _“Exactly_ like Morro’s energy,”

“Oh, no,” Jay said, his face now a pale gray. “We need to get the f**k out of here,”

“We do,” Nya looked behind her at the other prisoners, none of them focused on their meals. They had their hateful eyes trained on the warriors. “And fast,”

“n32091i4nd10mdi34,” blabbered Zane.

She reached out to pat him on his head…or, at least what she _assumed_ to be his head. _Hopefully all in one piece._ She retracted her hand, suddenly angry. Why was this happening? _What_ was even happening?! Where were they? Where was Bunny?

And where was her brother?!

A voice boomed over the loudspeakers, alerting the prisoners that lunchtime was over and asking them to _please_ return to their cells, thank you. Nya stood up, offering her hand to Zane. The lacerated robot accepted it, pulling himself to stand unsteadily on his twisted limbs. Cole stood and Jay helped him across the prison hall. The other prisoners had also risen, and they stared condescendingly at the warriors.

Nya couldn’t resist herself. She was tired, angry, and confused. “What are _you_ all looking at?” Still, that didn’t make the action any less stupid.

Much to the Fire Master’s surprise, a woman with gray skin instead of yellow stepped forwards, her beady eyes twinkling malevolently.

“You,” Her voice was annoying and raspy. Not unlike one of Pink’s personas, but somehow much more grating and unpleasant. “Why did they put _you_ in here?”

“I’m sorry, do I _know_ you?” Nya asked, irate and scared. She didn’t recognize this woman, but her lack of recollection clearly wasn’t mutual.

The woman chuckled, glancing around to the other prisoners. They laughed as well. Despite being directly related to a (self-proclaimed) comedian, Nya failed to see the humor in this situation.

“Do we _know_ you? Of course we know you,” she bared her crooked teeth. “You’re the reason most of us are _in_ this dump.”

“Oi, are you off your face, madam?” Jay asked from behind the Fire Elemental.

The woman looked confused briefly, but she hid it behind her snarl. “I didn’t think you could talk any stupider,” she growled.

A voice piped in from the crowd. “Hey! Jay is _not—“_ the voice was silenced almost immediately.

The Lightning Master looked bewildered, but not offended.

“Look,” Nya said, trying not to lose her cool. “We’ve had a long day, and we’re not in the mood for any of this… _whatever_ this is. So if you’ll just let us pass—“

The woman chuckled again, cracking her knuckles. “Sorry, _Nya,”_ she said, her eyes twinkling with hostility. “We’re not giving up a chance for revenge,” there were mutual sounds of agreement. The tension already filling the hall increased _drastically._

Nya felt her friends gather in a familiar formation behind her. She smiled, her confidence swelling. Even powerless, her friends were formidable fighters—and they’d crushed _far worse_ odds than this.

“We _still_ have no idea who you idiots are,” she said, shifting into a stance. “But if you insist…”

“Oh, _I insist._ Fellas, leave this one to me; when I’m done, you can have the _rest.”_ hissed the woman, altering her own stance. Nya almost felt sorry for her. The stance revealed three potential weak points, including the neck. Even without her wings, the Master of Fire knew she could use the sky as her advantage here; so she did. The woman charged angrily, preparing both of her ashy fists. Nya jumped, lifting her shackled hands above her head and bringing up her legs to cover her exposed chest. The woman was completely unprepared for her maneuver, and tumbled backwards when Nya thrust the chains over her head. She howled, clutching them, as Nya used the woman’s own weight to spin her.

The other prisoners could only watch in shock.

Jay grinned. “Good onya!” He hooted, clapping. Cole clapped, too, wondering exactly which maneuver she was using. Zane gurgled from behind them, sounding concerned but pleased.

Nya spun the woman around repeatedly, performing her Spinjitzu. The two disappeared into a blood-orange tornado. The woman stared at her, spluttering and shocked, gripping the chains around her neck, mouth gaping. Nya snarled at her, unhooking the chains and propelling the woman straight into the wall. There was a shriek, a _crack,_ and then a deathly silence from her. Nya panted, slowing herself down, surveying the damage.

There was no blood, but the woman’s back had a large, unnatural hump protruding from it. Her glazed eyes stared lifelessly up at Nya, causing the girl to gasp and step away.

“She’s dead,” someone said from behind her.

Suddenly, the other prisoners remembered that it was time to return to their cells, and so they all filed quickly out.

“Nya,” Cole rested his hand on the girl’s shoulder. Nya’s hands hung limply at her sides, and she stared at the corpse beneath her.

“I killed her,” she muttered. Why was she so upset? She’d killed people before—this was nothing new, right?

“1923j1m56do1n2,” Zane said, dragging himself to her other side.

“I saw the look in her eyes,” Jay said from behind her. “She woulda did the same thing to you. Nya, it was self-defense,”

“I still killed her,” Nya said, her eyes filling with tears. “I _killed_ her, and I didn’t even know her name!”

**The _Destiny’s Bounty,_ Current Day**

Lloyd had spent the last day or so wondering if he should try and contact the others. He’d tried a few times over the past month with limited success, but dealing with duplicates seemed like more than just a one-Ninja job. _(Irony.)_ But every time he sat down at the communicator, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Whether they responded or not, he couldn’t face it. On one hand, he couldn’t handle the rejection anymore. On the other, he knew hearing their _original,_ non-duplicate voices was just…too painful.

He’d deal with this problem himself, then.

The threat alarm began to go off again, and Lloyd groaned. He stood up, limping away from the communicator and over to the command hub.

“What _now?”_ He griped, shutting off the alarm and reading the alert log. His eyes widened in shock. “Ultra Violet is _dead?”_ He gasped. _Ultra Violet has died. Killed by “Nya”. Plz come quickly. We are panicking. Thx! Warden Noble <3_

Lloyd stood up, wincing at the pain in his leg.

He’d deal with this problem himself, then.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oop.  
> Stop squandering yourself in self-pity, Lloyd. Gosh!   
> What do you guys think about the alternate Ninja? (They're not Ninja, but that is whatever.) Do you like them? Do you dislike them? Can you guess what characters inspired them? (Hint, hint; they are all inspired by different characters from my separate interests.)  
> I was actually planning an entire au behind this story. A "Kai is the Chosen One" au, because there are not NEARLY enough of those :D would you maybe all want that?  
> Questions? Theories? Leave them at my tumblr @lastofbastet
> 
> -Fran


	9. More Problems

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is one HELL of a rollercoaster. (The Kai angst has returned, and it is very spicy.)  
> Trigger warnings: a stupid plague joke. Swearing. Censored Swearing. Insults. Toxic friends *shrug*
> 
> Thanks, Luna! You amazing person, you! :D

**Unconfirmed _Gray Mafia_ Territory, (Technically) Days Earlier**

The trio walked silently through the forest. Garmadon in the middle, the doubles walking on either side of him. Pink sulked, shuffling silently along. Kai, however, had regained some of his life. The void still remained within him, but a flame burned steadily inside of it, making the pain very much tolerable. So he was noticeably happier, his steps livelier; though he was still in desperate need of hair gel.

Time wore silently on with no word from any of them. Kai wondered where they were going, and why. _Aren’t we in some sort of a rush?_ He wondered to himself. _People are dying, their homes are being decimated—we should be hurrying, right?_ He gazed across Garmadon’s noticeably translucent torso, his eyes falling across Pink’s indurated face. The sensei looked down at Kai, an expression he couldn’t recognize was painted on the man’s face. Kai looked at him, confused, and Garmadon nodded to Pink. Kai scrunched his nose, shaking his head, and Garmadon rolled his eyes. The man sped up his walk, leaving both of the boys to lag behind.

Kai sighed, speeding to catch up, then slowing down again. Pink still retained his former speed, eyes trained on the ground in front of him. Garmadon marched at a steady pace feet ahead of them, not looking back. Kai sighed again, falling back to walk alongside his counterpart.

“Hey,” said the former Fire Elemental. “How’re you doing?”

“Fine,” Pink responded flatly. “Just dead inside,”

“Join the club. We have membership cards and fancy little napkins.”

Pink smiled a bit. “Joke theft isn’t a…damn it, well I guess it _is_ a joke.”

“Just like my life,”

“Ha, you’re funny.”

“I know.”

Pink went quiet again.

“Something on your mind?” Kai prodded.

“Oh, yes. Plenty of things,”

“Would you care to share?”

“Not really, no,”

“Oh, well…that’s kind of unfortunate,”

“Depends on your perspective, I suppose.”

“Any reason _why_ you don’t want to share?”

“Because I’m a stingy person,”

“I don’t believe that,”

“Well, you _should,”_

“Don’t tell me what I should or shouldn’t do,”

“Fine, fine,” Pink sighed. “If you want to be a part of my misery so badly, I’ll allow it.”

Kai smiled triumphantly. The void in his chest shifted uncomfortably. “Well, good. Now, share it please,”

“I live in a constant state of fear and misery. And regret now, too, as it appears.”

“What do you regret?”

“Tons and tons of things,” he suspired. “But, right now, I regret what I took from you,”

“Oh. Well, yeah…I kind of regret that, too. But I gave it up voluntarily, you know. You were there, you saw it.”

“Whether you did or didn’t isn’t really the point here,” Pink said dejectedly. “I still _used_ you to get what I wanted. And I justified that…that _manipulation_ to myself by belittling you as a person.” He gritted his sharp teeth. “I just…I just _hate_ that I fell so far. I hate how much of a monster I can be without my friends and family to regulate me, I…” he trailed off.

Kai rested his hand on Pink’s shoulder as they came to a stop.

“I mean, _yeah,_ that was a pretty terrible thing for someone to do,” he said. “But…but after all you told me about yourself, and after what your dad told me about you, I can understand why you would do that.” Kai scrunched his face, looking away from Pink and off into the forest. “And…and as much as I hate to think about it, I could very easily be in the same spot you were in: willing to sacrifice others for my own gain.”

He snorted. “Doubtful,”

“Doubtful? What makes you say that? It’s not like you know me that much,”

“Well, no, not _much,”_ Pink admitted. “It’s just…the way you _were_ back there. Even after I told you that it would cost you _everything,_ you gave yourself up. On the off chance that I would manage to save the Realms, nonetheless. I just…I just don’t think I could ever be so selfless. And I don’t think someone as selfless as you are could _ever_ actually fall as far as I have.”

“Where there is the potential for greatness, there is also the capacity for terribleness.” Kai said knowingly. “Trust me. I’ve almost let my own envy overtake my love for my friends _countless_ times.”

“Okay then, Sensei,” Pink joked, smiling a bit. “And…I’m sorry, you know.”

“I know,”

“Good,” Pink paused. “I mean, like, _really_ sorry.”

“Yes, I know. You’re really sorry,”Kai hesitated, deciding eventually to continue. “And…at least to a point, I forgive you.” he felt like a weight was lifted off of him when he said that. Or maybe the space in the void had become less dense. “But it’ll take awhile for you to earn my trust back,” he said seriously.

Pink smiled. “I can live with that,”

“Good, because you’ll have to for awhile.”

“You remind me so much of my sister,” Pink said, his tone fond but bittersweet. “You both at least make the _effort_ to understand my bullshit, even when I’m being an inexcusable little bitch.”

Kai smiled. “I like your sister,”

“I like her, too.” Pink looked at the sky. “I hope she’s okay,”

A buzzing filled their ears, and a flash of light lit up the pale blue sky. The swirling vortex that was the Gatekeeper appeared, emitting a rushed susurrus of urgent whispers.

“Whoa! Whoa! Slow down,” Pink said. “Go, go back a bit. _What_ is happening?”

Garmadon walked back to where they were, falling in silently besides Kai and looking up at the vortex.

 _“Your friends, little cub,”_ they said, sounding strained but speaking briskly. _“I found them, and they are safe!”_

“Ah, aha! Woohoo!” Pink exclaimed in relief, smiling. “YES!!”

“Thank goodness!” Garmadon exclaimed, hugging his son.

“What? What’s going on?” Kai asked, looking back and forth at everyone else confusedly.

“It’s my friends!” Pink said, grinning. He gripped Kai’s shoulders gleefully. “They’re safe and alive!!”

“Yes!” Kai said, grabbing at Pink’s forearms. They both began to bounce excitedly. “Yes, yes, yes, _yes!”_

 _“I could not make contact with you for some reason,”_ they explained, sounding utterly exhausted. _“So I brought them to Kai’s Ninjago, seeing as it is one of the furthest Realms from the collapse pattern.”_

 _“Kai’s_ Ninjago?” Garmadon echoed.

 _“My_ Ninjago?” Kai said. “Then what are we waiting for? We know where they are, so let’s go and get them!”

 _“I require time to recover,”_ they rasped. _“But I will escort you as soon as possible,”_

Pink groaned, facepalming. “Yes, of course we have to wait! The end of _infinity itself_ is upon us, but we have to wait for a celestial being’s battery to recharge!” He looked at the sky angrily, away from the Gatekeeper. “I hope you’re seeing how _foolish_ your actions were, because we’re seeing some big-ass f**king consequences here!”

Kai watched Garmadon as he placed his translucent hand on Pink’s shoulder. The former Master of Fire winced.

“The thing is, I don’t think we have a lot of time _to_ wait,” he said, his voice wavering slightly.

“What do you mean?” Pink pressed, turning to him.

Kai pointed to Garmadon, who was becoming more pellucid by the minute. “He’s been out of the Realm of the Departed for, what? A week now? Maybe two?” He moved to stand next to the man and his son. “He’s fading pretty quickly. I don’t think he has a lot of time left,”

Garmadon looked down. “Kai is correct,” he confirmed somberly. “We are, indeed, running out of time.”

“F**king great,” Pink growled, kicking at the dirt. “What’re we gonna do _now?!”_

“May I make a suggestion?” Kai asked.

“I’m just about open to anything now, yeah,” Pink said, his dark eyes piercing Kai’s soul. “Shoot,”

“You need Garmadon’s guidance to unlock your true potential again,” Kai started, pushing back the rising feeling of guilt. _They should’ve been figuring_ that _out instead of hauling me uselessly around._ He pushed away the thought. His guilt was insignificant now. “So, why don’t you guys go and figure that out? I can go retrieve your friends, then we could rendezvous somewhere and make our next move.”

Pink eyes unfocused for a bit. “I mean, theoretically, that _could_ work,” he murmured, sounding doubtful. “But…but how are you going to _get_ to this rendezvous point? You can’t summon the Gatekeeper yourself,”

Kai crossed his arms, looking thoughtfully into the distance. “No, but…can any of your friends summon them?”

Pink shook his head. “No. Only a being with direct contact to the Ethereal energy can summon them. So only really things like Hellbeasts and _sometimes_ dragons,” or oni.

“Dammit,” he said, looking up to the sky. “Can we use some sort of beacon, maybe? Some pulse of energy or something?”

 _“That could work,”_ they said. _“I was able to find your friends by tracing their energy signatures. They were much,_ much _weaker than yours. Feasibly, we can perform the same procedure with a larger, more tangible burst of energy.”_

“They said it could work,” Pink said, looking at Kai. “But we’ll need _lot_ of energy do to so,”

The corners of Kai’s mouth lifted. “I know where to find tons of energy,” he looked up at the Gatekeeper. “Just look for a wildly fluctuating and highly-powerful surge of energy. We’ll be there, alright?”

 _“Tell him I understand,”_ they said. _“And that I will try my best,”_

“They understand,” Pink nodded to Kai. “And they’ll try their best,”

“That’s all I ask,” Kai said, smiling. “Now, where’s a safe place to meet up?”

“The Ethereal Isles are probably the safest places to meet,” Garmadon said. “With the Realms collapsing so fast, the Great Balance is attempting to right itself by spreading across the remaining ones. It will not be safe for us to formulate a plan in _any_ of them,”

Kai nodded grimly. “So, we’ll meet up at the Ethereal Isles. I trust the Gatekeeper to get us there safely,”

 _“His trust is justified,”_ said the Gatekeeper with a hint of pride. _“And I…I believe I am now recharged enough for transportation,”_

“Are you certain?” Pink asked. “We don’t want to push you if you can’t take it,”

The Gatekeeper remained silent for a second.

“G?”

 _“I am fine,”_ they assured. _“I can do this, I promise, little cub,”_

Pink squinted at them, but he nodded. “If you say so,” he looked at Garmadon. “You and Icould at least _start out_ at the Ethereal Isles, and we’ll move if we have to,”

Garmadon nodded. “Sounds like a fair plan,”

Kai nodded as well. “So, it’s settled,” he said. “We’re doing this.”

They all nodded together in unison.

“It’s settled,” Pink confirmed. “This is what we’re doing,”

“Okay, then,” Kai looked at them. “I guess this is goodbye,”

“I guess it is,” Pink said quietly. “But…just for now,”

“Sure, yeah,” Kai said, the void in his chest tightening painfully. “See you both soon, then,”

“I hope so,” Garmadon said. Kai turned around and threw his arms around the man. Garmadon returned the embrace, rocking Kai gently.

“Thank you,” he murmured into the man’s neck.

“Of course,” he whispered back, stroking Kai’s long hair. “I'm very glad we met, Kai. I hope I see you again,”

“I’m glad we met, too,” Kai said, holding back tears. “And yeah, we’ll see each other soon. I know it,”

The man smiled down at him, sadness in his eyes. “Not too soon, I hope,” he said, pushing Kai off. “Now come on, you have some lovely brats to save.”

Kai nodded, separating himself from the kind old sensei. “I do,”

Pink looked at him. “Do I get a hug and heartfelt goodbye, too?”

“No, you dork,” Kai rolled his eyes, smiling playfully. “See ya, wouldn’t wanna _be_ ya!”

“But… _you_ are—nevermind,” he grinned playfully back. “See you later, bitch,”

Garmadon smacked Pink on the back of his head. “My children are _not_ to speak to each other that way,” he admonished fondly.

“Where were you ten seconds ago?” Pink complained jestingly, rubbing the back of his head. “When Kai insulted me?”

Garmadon shrugged. “Must’ve missed it,”

“Sure, yeah, okay.” Pink said.

That was the last thing Kai heard before the buzzing.

“WATCH WHERE YOU’RE GOING, PUNK!” Snapped a middle-aged woman from the driver’s seat. Kai skittered quickly out of the crosswalk in front of her, apologizing profusely. “I swear, it’s like he cam out of _nowhere,”_ she muttered to the small yorkie in the backseat. “Crazy teenagers, Pookums. They’re like a _plague!”_

Kai stumbled onto the sidewalk, stuffing his hands into the hoodie pockets. _Ninjago City,_ he thought, recognizing the glimmering steeple of Borg Tower in the distance. _Welcome home, Kai._ He briefly considered going to the other Ninja right away for help, but he abandoned the thought swiftly. One step at a time: find Pink’s team, _then_ find his own. _Hopefully they’ll listen to me,_ he thought fleetingly. _The Realms sorta depend on it._

“These new threats, dubbed the ‘Gray Ninja’ by many—“ Kai stopped in his tracks when he heard the familiar voice of Gayle Gossip droning in the background. He turned around, searching for the source of her voice. He spotted her gaudy, overly made-up face on one of the large plasma screens overlooking the city. He walked closer, ears straining for any information.“—anyways, the currently reside in Kryptarium Prison. In the three weeks since their arrival, we have been given _no info_ on who they are or why they might be here. Many speculate that the patches of corruption has gotten to the Ninja, but _I_ personally think—“

Kai didn’t stick around for the rest of her report. He headed off at a brisk pace towards Kryptarium prison, his long hair swaying in the wind.

Warden Noble tapped his foot against the sand nervously, checking his BorgWatch for the fifth time in the past twenty minutes. Lloyd was late, _again._ Was that a sign? Was he the next Gray Ninja to turn up at Kryptarium?! That would be _all_ of them, right? Then Ninjago would not have protection. They were doomed, _doomed!_ There was no hope for anyone if—

“Warden Noble!” Gasped a vaguely familiar voice.

“Yes?” He responded nervously, looking around the desert. A guy in a plain gray sweatshirt and black skinny jeans approached him, and he shifted into a stance. “Who are you? Why are you here? This is private property!”

“Warden Noble, it’s me! It’s Kai, the Red Ninja!” He said, flipping his long hair out of his face.

The Warden recognized the title instantly. “Oh, a Ninja!” He sighed, immensely relieved. “Thank goodness! Did…did Lloyd send you?’’

Kai hesitated briefly before nodding. “I…yeah. He, he sent me here, to check up on the, ah, the Gray Ninja.”

The Warden nodded back. “About time. Follow me, then,”

Kai sprinted up to him, falling behind the man, allowing himself to be escorted through the various security checks and whatnot.

“Didn’t recognize you without the costume,” chuckled the Warden nervously. “What’s with the new threads?”

“Oh, um…” Kai looked down. “Top-secret, undercover Ninja stuff. I can’t say another word, really.”

“No worries,” the Warden reassured him. “We’re just glad to have a Ninja back on the premises. Things have gotten _worse_ since the last time Lloyd was here.”

“Fill me in,” Kai ordered, placing his shoes on the conveyor belt. “I was sent to…to, ah, to collect additional information from them, and I’ll need as much as I can find.” The shoes came out of the x-ray machine, and the employee nodded at Kai to take them.

“Oh, well, you know,” the Warden waited patiently as Kai put his shoes back on. “The prisoners are terrified of them, especially since the death of Ultra Violet—“ _Good riddance,_ Kai thought as the Warden rambled on. “So, yeah…”

“Would you kindly gather all of them into an interrogation room, please?” Kai asked.

“You want…you want to interrogate _all_ of them, all of them at _once?”_ He asked quizzically.

“That’s what I asked, wasn’t it?” Kai looked at him. “Are you challenging my authority?”

“No, no! Not at all,” the Warden wrung his hands nervously. “They’ll all be escorted into an interrogation room.”

“Under no surveillance,” Kai commanded.

“Really?”

“Yes. Green Ninja’s orders,” _Sorry, Lloyd,_ he thought. _But the livelihoods of_ trillions _are at stake. You can chew me out for lying later on, alright?_

“A-alright, then…” Warden Noble agreed hesitantly. “Whatever the Green Ninja says, goes; I suppose…”

Nya sat alone in her cell, shifting in her straitjacket, trying uselessly to escape. _You’ve tried for_ weeks _now,_ she said to herself harshly. _There_ is no _escape._ Honestly, she wanted to cry. Jay was having no luck with finding escape routes. Zane was constantly falling apart. And Cole was…well, Cole was doing fine, but that was besides the point. Nya _still_ had no idea where they were, or why they were so despised here—and she was beginning to think she’d never have get any answers.

Keys jangled in the lock of her cell, and it swung open. She squinted at the light.

“Bring her, quickly,” ordered a guard’s voice gruffly.

“Bring me wh—HEY! Get your paws off!” She snapped, trying to jerk from away from the guards. “Get off me!”

“Oh, shut up!” One exclaimed as they dragged her out into the hall.

“How about _you_ shut up, mate?!” Jay exclaimed, his bindings very similar to Nya’s. He lacked the face guard, however. Big mistake on their part, really—the guy could bite like there was no tomorrow. Not that he would, of course.

“9i3n94in021d,” Zane gurgled.

“You too?” Cole sighed.

“Anyone know what’s going on?” Nya asked, her voice hushed. They all shook their heads.

“No,” Cole said.

“Quiet!” The guards ordered, hauling them down the hallway. Nya recognized this place. _This is where the guy interrogated us,_ she realized. _Why are we going back? Why would we be going back?_ A door was opened, and they were shoved unceremoniously into the room. They all landed gracelessly and tangled on top of each other, and the door swung heavily shut after them.

“Well, you guys are certainly a mess,” chuckled a painfully familiar voice.

Nya was the first to respond. “Pink?!” She gasped. “Is it…is it really you!”

“Ay, about _f**kin_ time, mate!” Jay exclaimed, squirming across the floor. “Where you _been?”_

“Sorry, no,” he said. “I’m not Pink, but I’m here on his behalf.” The owner of the voice stepped out of the shadows, and the warriors were all shocked to see him. He _looked_ almost exactly like Pink—Nya was even certain that he wore one of her brother’s sweatshirts—but his hair and skin were different colors.

“What’s going on?” Cole asked.

“93n3ne293n1b?”

The boy walked over to them, pulling them off of each other. “Let me explain. I’m Kai, and I’m another version of Pink,”

“Bullshit,” coughed Jay.

“No, no—it’s true. He sent me here to get you.”

“Why? And where _is_ here?” Nya demanded, looking up at him. “And why didn’t _he_ come for us?”

“It’s very difficult to explain, okay? But I’ll try my hardest, just—just _please,_ hear me out.”

“We don’t have much of a choice, really,” Nya grumbled, shifting around in her straitjacket and giving him her ear.

Lloyd had been forced to abandon the _Destiny’s Bounty_ halfway across the Sea of Sand due to a complete system breakdown.

He’d gotten an urgent call in the middle of the night for help. The Ninjago City suburbs had been overrun by beavers, apparently. Yikes. After some calls to the Ninjago Wildlife Association and a few deported truckloads of beavers, he’d just about managed to straighten the issue out. Lloyd was then supposed to meet up with Warden Noble for their weekly meeting, but now he was an hour late. His limp didn’t help, not in the slightest. So it was with great relief that he sighed with when Kryptarium finally came into view.

The Green Ninja was on his last leg. Literally _and_ figuratively. He’d just hobbled through the desert all by himself _._ If he’d fallen, no one would even have come to look for him. He would’ve died, abandoned, forsaken. He gasped as he limped up to the gate of Kryptarium. He missed his friends. More than anything, he missed them. He didn’t want to do this alone anymore. He didn’t want to _be_ alone anymore. And here he was: alone, abandoned. Friendless.

Abandoned _by_ his friends.

Much to his surprise, Warden Noble wasn’t waiting impatiently out front. _Odd,_ he thought to himself. The uneasy warden was always waiting out front, no matter _how_ late he was. He walked up to the prison gate, waving at the guard inside. The man looked confused briefly, but he opened the gate and let Lloyd in. _Interesting,_ thought the Green Ninja as he descended to the security checks level.

“The Green Ninja?” Asked one of the guards. “What are you doing in here?”

“I…came to see the warden,” Lloyd explained, confused. “You know, like I’ve _been_ doing for the past few weeks?”

The guard looked just as confused. “Well, yeah—but, but you sent one of the other Ninja here, so we _assumed—“_

“One of the other Ninja are _here?”_ Lloyd interrupted. “Which one? Who?!”

“I…I don’t know exactly which one,” said the guard. “He wasn’t in uniform. But, but he’s still here, if—“

“Take me to him,” Lloyd demanded. “Take me to him _now!”_

“So, so let me get this straight,” Nya shifted her arms in the straitjacket. “This is _Ninjago,_ but…but this isn’t _our_ Ninjago, because our Ninjago was destroyed a millennia ago?”

Kai nodded. “And the rest of the Realms are drying, so we _really_ need your help to fix it.”

Nya shook her head in disbelief. “I…no, I don’t believe this,” she said. “This is some sort of nightmare—I’m not buying it.”

“I didn’t want to believe it either,” Kai said sympathetically. “And, gosh…I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry for everything: for your losses, for your imprisonment… _everything._ But the Great Balance is dying, and we need your help to restore it.”

“Load of bull,” snorted Jay, though his tone was more solemn than scathing.

“Sounds crazy, I know,” Kai smiled a little. “No, it _is_ crazy. Just crazy enough for you to believe it, right?”

They all groaned, because it was true.

“Maybe,” Nya said skeptically. _Just maybe._

“Once we get to Pink, he can clear the rest of it up, okay? You guys just need to trust me in the meantime, okay?”

They all groaned again.

 _“Okay?!”_ He said, sounding more forceful. _More like Pink,_ Nya realized.

“Okay,” she responded coolly.

“Nyeea—“

“Jay,” she cut him off. “You know the rules. _I_ am the deputy of this team, and _I_ am making an executive decision right now to trust—to trust _Kai,”_ she nodded to him, and he grinned back. Identically to her brother—only without the sharp teeth.

“Good,” he said. “You won’t regret it, I promise.” 

“I’d _better_ not,” she grumbled hopefully. “So, how do we _get_ to Pink?”

Kai opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by keys jangling in the door. They all turned to watch, and Kai’s heart began to thud rapidly. _Uh-oh._ Not good, _not_ good!

Lloyd threw the door open, his bright green eyes scouring the room.

“Hey,” Nya said reflexively. “It’s you again,”

“Yeah, _me,”_ he hissed, walking forwards. “Whoever you are, _come out—_ I _know_ you’re in here, and you’ve got a _lot_ of explaining to do!”

Kai swallowed, stepping into the light. “Hey, Lloyd,” he said quietly. “How are you?”

Lloyd’s entire being seemed to come to a complete stop, if only for a few seconds.

“Kai?!” He rasped in disbelief. “Is it…is it really you?”

Kai nodded, hooking his hair out of his face. He shot the Green Ninja a nervous smile.

“Yep, it’s really me,”

Lloyd’s expression went from surprised to happy to angry real quick. “Where have you _been?”_ He snapped, crossing his arms and shifting his injured leg behind him. “And why are you here, at _Kryptarium,_ of all places? Are we—am, am I less important to you than these _criminals,_ Kai?!”

“Lloyd,” Kai stepped forwards, reaching to place his hand on his friend’s arm. “Let me explain—“

“Don’t _touch_ me,” Lloyd snarled, stepping backwards and nearly tripping. “You’d better explain yourself _quickly,_ Kai—or I might be forced to lock you up with the rest of these degenerates.” He eyed the bound warriors coldly.

“ _What do_ _you_ mean, degener—“

“Quiet, Jay,” Cole barked.

“I— _rest_ of?” Kai choked. “Lloyd, I’ve been to _hell and back_ over the past few weeks! Because—“

“I don’t _care_ where you’ve _been,_ Kai,” Lloyd said, clenching his teeth. “Tell me just tell me _why.”_

“Why are you so hostile? I’m just trying to explain—“

“Don’t try to make this about me! This is about you screwing up.”

“Hey, that was uncalled for,” Nya admonished.

“Yeah, dude. Totally unnecessary,” Jay chimed.

“923un0293i4nd,”

“Shut up, _all of you,”_ Lloyd ordered. “Or it’s solitary confinement for the next _week.”_

Cole blew a raspberry.

“Lloyd, Lloyd, calm down,” Kai said, attempting to reach out, attempting to comfort him. “It’s okay, it’s just—“

“I said _don’t touch me!”_ He stumbled backwards. “I’ve been alone for _months now,_ Kai—months! You left us! You left us, you left _me!_ And I think I’m at liberty to know _why_ you would do such a thing.”

“Oh, Lloyd,” Kai said softheartedly. “I’m sorry, I really, _truly_ am, but—“

“No, ‘buts’ Kai,” Lloyd said harshly. “I don’t want to hear excuses, I just need to know what was so much more important to you than I—than _we_ are.”

“Hehe, _butts,”_

“Lloyd, it’s not _like_ that! Just, just please let me explain! I promise, it’ll—“

“I’ve given you chance after _chance_ to explain!” he said. _Don’t cry don’t cry don’t cry don’t—_ “and all you’ve done is make _excuses,_ Kai.”

“What?!”

“Dude, _no,_ he’s ben tryna—“

“I said shut _up!”_ Lloyd shrieked.

“Lloyd, calm down—calm down! I’m trying to—“

“You don’t get to tell me what to do!” Lloyd snapped, his eyes fizzling with pain. “You abandoned us, Kai. You abandoned us, and you won’t even tell me _why.”_ He turned back to the doorway, gesturing to the guards. “Take them away, _all_ of them.” He ordered.

“Lloyd, no! Listen to me!” Kai cried, grabbing his friends wrist.

Lloyd yanked his wrist from Kai’s grasp. Without thinking, he formed a ball of energy and hurled it in Kai’s direction. Kai managed to jump out of the way, so the ball of energy planted itself in the wall behind him.

“Well, that’s _one_ way to do it, I guess.” Muttered the former Fire Elemental.

A buzzing began to fill the room.

“What’s going on? What’s that noise?”

A flash of light lit up the room, and a swirling vortex appeared in the spot where Lloyd’s ball of energy had dented the wall. Kai jumped into action. He hauled the awestruck warriors up from the floor, herding them quickly to towards the portal.

“Go through!” He ordered. “Quick!” He wouldn’t risk entering the portal himself until all of Pink’s friends had made it through first. Of course that was the cause of his downfall, but whatever. Altruism for the win—even if that meant personal loss.

Nya stumbled to the portal first, practically falling in. _I really hope putting my trust in you is_ worth it, _Kai._ She told him silently. Jay tossed Zane and Cole through next, casting a worried glance back at Kai before entering the portal himself.

Kai moved to follow them, but was stopped when someone grabbed his arm. He shouted, trying to free himself, before he was tased senseless.

Lloyd watched his unconscious friend slump in the grasp of the guards. He swallowed. _What have I done?_ He asked himself briefly. The portal closed, and they were left in the disorderly interrogation room. Lloyd bit his lip. _What have I just stopped?_

“What do you want us to do with him?” One of the guards asked quietly.

Lloyd looked back to them, and down to the stunned Red Ninja. The regret slowly dripped out of him as he realized that Kai had just freed four _very_ dangerous prisoners. And _why_ had he done that? Where had he _been_ for the past few months? How did he even know who these people were?

Who was Kai working for now?

“Oh, Kai,” Lloyd knelt down beside him, biting back tears. He patted his friend’s shoulder gently, then he stood back up. “Put him in solitary confinement, at maximum security.” He ordered. “We can’t risk another incident like this.”

They both nodded, dragging his body out of the room.

Lloyd watched them, a disharmonious torrent of emotions welling up inside of him. _You have a lot to answer for, Kai,_ he thought to himself as the Fire Master was dragged out of sight; but not out of mind. _And you’d better have some really,_ really _good answers for me. For your sake._

Kai could barely move. Not that he wanted to, not that he had any reason to. Alone, here, in this dark cell, there was no genuine cause to. He had served his purpose. His powers were gone, and Pink had his friends; Kai was no longer needed to help restore the Great Balance. He sighed, shifting in the tight confines of the straitjacket. _I guess I’ll rot here forever, then._ He thought to himself.

He didn’t want to think about that.

He didn’t want to think about _anything._

He didn’t want to think of what Lloyd had said to him earlier. About abandonment. About being alone. Because he knew that the Green Ninja was right. Despite his reasons, Kai _had_ abandoned his friends. Not only them, he’d also abandoned his job—his duties nominated to him as a Ninja. _Pink was right,_ he thought to himself. _It really_ does _cost you everything._

He looked up at the fluorescent light. _Don’t think about that now,_ said a voice inside of him. _Don’t think about anything. Don’t_ feel _anything._ There was no escape from the cell, but there was escape from all of the horrible feelings. _Do you really want that?_ Asked another voice. Things were so mixed up, Kai couldn’t guess what part of him was talking anymore. Sympathy? Skepticism? Altruism? Envy? Selfishness? Compassion? _It hurt you last time. You hated it. You_ hated _it, you_ hate _it!_

That was true. The emptiness _had_ hurt him last time, and he _did_ hate it; very much so. And _then_ Kai remembered what Lloyd said. He remembered that he’d failed his duties. He remembered that there was no longer a place for him here. Not in this—or in _any_ —world.

And so the void returned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoo, hoo! Halfway mark! We did it, boiis!   
> Lloyd, you complete f**king asshat! Please DEAL WITH YOUR OWN DAMN ISSUES instead of projecting your issues with trust & abandonment on poor Kai. He's already dealing with enough bullshit.   
> Sorry, almost lost my cool there ;) [fyi I am dead inside]  
> Anyways, comments and criticisms are all appreciated. I love you all and I want to thank you for over 400 reads! You are amazing children and I adore you all!  
>  -Fran
> 
> Tumblr is @lastofbastet if you have any questions or comments. Or if you would just like to have a conversation.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, my babies!  
> This is the first chapter of my first fanfiction. Did you like it? (Was it too slow?) Comments and criticisms are welcome! I plan to update it within the next week or so. 
> 
> Questions? Theories? Leave them at my tumblr @lastofbastet  
> And thanks once again, Luna!
> 
> -Fran


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